The How
by remaerd x
Summary: Tai recalls the moments in his life that led up to what he now concludes as inevitable: falling in love with his best friend. (Taiora, Complete with epilogue!)
1. The Who

_My name is Tai Kamiya, and I'm not one for romance. _

_All of that stuff is pretty lame if you ask me. This is going to sound real cheesy, and, of course, cliché, but I didn't know about all of the cool stuff behind falling in love until I, well, fell in love. Funny concept, right? It was just never anything I figured was for me. The funnier thing, though, is that I never knew I was falling in love since day one. Little moments add up. I'm a bit of a hypocrite. All of that stuff _is_ lame, but when it finally happens to you… you'll understand. I didn't want this to happen at all, of course. I mean, when you're with someone _in that sense,_ you're making yourself vulnerable. You're naked, and I'm not talking physically. You're allowing yourself to have this person come into your life and give them the power to stomp all over your heart. What's worse is if it's your best friend you're in love with and you run that risk of ruining your friendship forever. Is it worth it? _

_For her, I'd say: hell yeah._

_When you fall in love, you never quite forget all of the "firsts." Like, you know, the first time you find out she likes you back. Or, the first time you gather all of your courage to finally kiss her. But what I think is super underrated is the _how_. _How_ did I fall in love with this girl? _How_ did we finally become, in lack of other words, a freaking awesome couple? But, before I get to any of that, I have to tell you the basics. I mean, come on, every story has to start somewhere. I can't tell you squat about our story if you don't know anything about her! If I told you everything, though, we'd be here for a long, long time. No, I'll just tell you the very basics, and I guess you could call it a "first," but it leads to the how and that starts with,_

**The Who.**

_Years Ago_

Come on, come on, come on. I repeatedly tapped the tip of my pencil against my desk, hitting its surface impatiently. Today was a huge day – it was nearly time for the big match. My school's soccer team, which I was quite proud to say I was a part of (I mean, who wouldn't want me on their team?), was about to play against our rival team. It was supposed to be the game of the year. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but this game was kind of a big deal for us. For me, at least. I knew I was only in fifth grade, but soccer had become a huge part of my life. When I played soccer, I remained focused. Not only were my team mates counting on me, but I was counting on myself to meet my personal goals. Besides, it was way too fun of a sport to not play.

The bell finally rang, and I bolted out of my seat and ran straight out the door. I could've sworn I heard my teacher say, "Slow down!" but my mind was running way too fast to function normally. I was way too excited – too pumped up. I spotted one of my team mates down the hall, seeing him wave frantically at me.

"Hey! Tai! Did you hear the news?" he shouted. I passed by him, still running.

"What news? Nevermind! Just tell me on the field! See you out there!" I exclaimed.

"I guess you'll find out yourself!" he remarked.

What could that mean? Oh, well. I was full of adrenaline and had no patience to stop the momentum now. I slipped into the locker room and quickly dressed, making sure to safely tuck away my trademark goggles, and headed out toward the field. Ah, the field. A vast sea of luscious green, ready to be stomped all over by some little kids kicking a ball around. Nothing seriously got better than this.

Wait a minute.

I had to do a double take once I scanned the field, because I thought that, maybe, in my rush to get here, I was imagining things. Sure enough, I wasn't. There was a girl at the edge of the field, near the benches for the home team. Her short, bright orange hair caught my eye, but it was what she was doing that was _really _out of the ordinary. It looked almost like she was dancing, but as I started slowly walking toward her, I realized she was kicking up a soccer ball. She had a routine going on – first, using the side of her heel to hoist the ball up to her thigh, and then she'd lift it up to her head. She'd jump up to receive the ball, headbutting it and aiming to send it a few inches in front of her. Then, she would catch the ball again with her thigh, dropping it down to her heel, and repeat. Not once did the ball drop nor did she miss. Somehow, she was elegant. Hm. Not bad… _for a girl._

I wondered what she was doing out on our field.

She was dressed in a soccer uniform – funny, since it was the same one I was wearing – so she must have been on the girls' team. I didn't know they had the exact same uniform. You'd think those girls would be wearing uniforms adorned with flowers and unicorns in, of course, the hottest shade of pink you could find. But, hey, I had to admit, it was clear she knew what she was doing.

"Heeey!" I yelled, waving my arm wide in the air. She glanced over, and then grabbed the ball with both of her hands in mid-air. She smiled, brushing aside some of her orange locks out of her face. She began walking towards me, never averting her gaze away from mine. I gulped.

"You must be Tai," she stated simply. What?! A psychic?!

"H-How did you know my name?" I asked, stunned.

"I was told the first person I'd meet is a boy with big, brown hair, because he would be the first person here on the field." She took a look around, turning her head to both sides and then facing me again, grinning. "And it looks like you fit the description, so, hi." She reached out and put her right hand toward me. I raised an eyebrow, and reluctantly shook her hand.

"Yeah, that'd be me, alright. But who told you that?" I inquired.

"Oh, Coach! He sure is nice. I can't wait to play with you guys. Big game ahead! I'm a little nervous since it'll be my first game with the team today."

"_Hey! Tai! Did you hear the news?" _

"_What news? Nevermind! Just tell me on the field! See you out there!"_

"_I guess you'll find out yourself!" _

Tick, tick, tick, tick… ding. It finally hit me.

"Wait…" I said cautiously. "You're going to be playing in our team? Today? An all-boys' team?" I was in shock. It didn't make any sense.

She smiled, nodding her head. "Yes! I know. Weird. Say all you want about it because I've just about heard it all." Nervously, she laughed and scratched her head, frowning. "I'm not really as confident as I should be since everyone's been letting me down about how I can't play for a boys' team."

"Why can't you be on the girls' team? I mean, not that I don't think you're capable of playing for us," I asked. Though I didn't know her, and I've never seen her play, I really did mean that. Something about her was just telling me to not underestimate her skills.

Her frown formed back into a smile. "Thanks, Tai. I know we just met but that means a lot. I sure hope the other boys are okay with this."

"Oh, they will be! I mean, it is a little weird, but we're all cool!"

Okay, I might've been overhyping our team. Come on, a girl on an all-boys' team?! I didn't even know that was allowed. But the poor girl looked so sad and if any of this were true, I wouldn't want her to feel unwelcomed. Already that frown of hers just killed me. I guess she'd be alright for the team… Just as long as I'm the one who shoots the winning goal for our team today, anyway!

The coach and the rest of the team eventually came by and we started our warm-ups. The whole time, I couldn't keep my eyes off this new girl. Embarrassing, because I'm pretty sure she caught me staring at her a few times. Of course, I played it cool and pretended to be too focused to notice her, and I hope that trick was working. It was true – the first thing the coach told us before starting was that she was the new addition because she was too advanced for the girls' team. Yikes. I probably should've paid attention to everything else Coach was saying because I didn't even catch her name. What's wrong with me? I'm never this distracted! Well, most of the time.

I concluded that I had completely lost it when the game finally started. We were already more than half way into the game and we were tied, 1-1. 'Okay. Focus, Tai. Don't let some girl distract you,' I thought to myself. I wasn't even at the age where girls _should_ havebeen distracting to me! Maybe I was finally maturing.

Naaaah.

But it didn't explain why I wasn't being myself. I had the ball passed to me three times, only for it to be stolen by the other team because I was looking over at the girl. She was panting heavily, looking over at me, as if to ask, "What's wrong?" If only I could have given her an answer. I really needed to concentrate – the game was almost over and at this point we were usually winning!

"Tai!" I heard. I turned around, and saw the girl running towards me. We both began to jog together toward our goal, where one of our players was dribbling the ball away from the other team. "I know it's not a good time to talk right now but have some courage! Okay? I'm trying, too!" She patted my shoulder with one hand and took off sprinting toward the ball.

I smiled. All I've been getting from the other guys were, "Tai, cut it out!" "Get your head in the game, man!" and the classic, "Stupid Tai!" But her words of encouragement, out of all of the negative energy I was getting, was uplifting. One of my team mates passed the ball over to me, hitting my chest. This was it. I began dribbling the ball as fast I could toward our goal, being tailed by a rival team member, pushing into me. I wasn't going to let him overpower me.

"Tai, pass it to me! I'm open!" the girl shouted to my right. I heard her, alright, but I wasn't listening. I was too stuck in my own world at the moment to let anyone else but me score the winning goal for our team. I rammed the rival team member toward my left, shoving him out of the way. This was it.

"Now's my chance to shoot! Here I go!" I yelled.

And then it happened so suddenly. I found myself losing the ball, and pummeling head first into the ground. Someone from the other team came from out of nowhere, skidding to the ground toward my feet and causing me to trip over myself. I landed hard, but nothing was hurting more than knowing that I screwed it up for the team. Nervously, I looked up to see who took the ball. To my surprise, the girl had kept alongside me the whole time. In slow motion, she bent her knees and sprung herself up into the air toward the ball, hitting it as hard as she could with her head... into the goal! The goalie fell to the ground as he tried to block the ball, but to no avail. We won.

Cheers from our team were heard all around the field. I was too flabbergasted to really take in what had just happened, and suddenly among the noise in the background, I heard, "Nice pass, Tai."

I looked up to see the girl with her hand out to help me up. I accepted, groggily getting up from the ground, my head and heart pounding. She continued, "I thought you were going to take the shot yourself."

I turned red, trying to avoid eye contact. "Remember, there's no 'I' in 'team'! Hahahahahahahah," I nervously managed to sputter. She giggled, nudging me at my waist with her elbow. She smiled, saying, "I told you all you needed was a little courage."

The other guys came running toward us – well, more specifically, toward her – chanting, "So-ra! So-ra!"

_Sora_. That must be her name. Unique. I think there was more to this girl than met the eye. One thing was for sure: I was going to have to get used to playing with her on the team.

"Sora," I said to myself, smiling. There really is no "I" in "team," and for a moment, I forgot that. Thanks for the reminder, Sora.

"Yeah?" she asked. I jumped, startled, thinking that she didn't hear me.

"O-Oh, nothing! Great job today. I think we're going to be great team mates," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. She flashed me a grin, shaking her head.

"No," she disagreed. I raised my eyebrow and turned my head, confused. Her amber eyes looked into mine, locking itself in its gaze, as if urging me to heed her words. I couldn't help but smile in return. "We're going to be great friends, Tai."

And I believed her.

* * *

**Author's note: **You know, the concept of this story sounded cool in my head but now, actually writing it out, I'm starting to have doubts. It was particularly hard to write about Tai not passing the ball to Sora, which happened in the show. The story will consist of the who, the what, the when, the where, the why, and the how - moments that have led up to Tai and Sora falling in luuurve. It'll be at least six chapters total, if not less. I've only written Taiora one-shots and one super short story up until this point, so let's see how this goes! :) For those who have read some of my past stuff, I'm back, for now! Hopefully I can keep this up. To be honest, I wanted to scrap this out, but I was a little more than halfway done writing this piece and was, like, "Eh, let's give it a shot." Let me know what you think by reviewing!

_Edit 08/20/14_: Added Tai's introduction of himself in the first sentence to clarify the story will be in his PoV. Thanks to shrimproll for the suggestion!  
_Edit 07/04/15: _Added "Years Ago" in the beginning and corrected tense mistakes


	2. The What

_Thinking about it now, I really was clueless about love when I was younger. I never associated any of my actions as a result of "being in love." The only thing I knew at the time was that I would do anything for her. _

**The What. **

"Hmm. How about this one?!"

"No. Absolutely not."

"This one's soooo cool, though!"

"Tai…. Do you really think she's going to like a stuffed Godzilla? How about, you know, a normal gift? For example, chocolate. _White_ chocolate. It's tradition!"

I groaned in frustration as I pushed opened the door to exit the store. This was seriously the last time I'd go shopping with Kari last minute. Okay, I guess I brought this on myself. Tomorrow's White Day, which was kind of a big deal to girls. Guys, who obviously got the worse end of the stick, were supposed to give girls a gift – usually sweets – a month after Valentine's Day. I guess you could call it "answer day," because it was kind of like a return gift you were supposed to give to the girl who gave you gifts on Valentine's Day. In my case, this girl, of course, would be Sora, a.k.a. the most difficult girl to buy gifts for. I mean, I was still traumatized from the time she ignored me for two days straight for giving her a hair pin for her birthday. Plus, guys had it worse because we were supposed to give girls gifts _three times _the price of what they gave us! As if I couldn't be any more broke. My job as a Digidestined wasn't exactly bringing me any income!

"Well, Sora's different. I can't just give her a '_normal gift,'"_ I retorted, causing Kari to shake her head and roll her eyes. She continued on, making me quickly trail after her. "Okay, okay, okay, I'm sorry! I'm just a little pressured to get her something nice is all," I confessed.

We passed by dozens of stores. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I stopped, peering into the window of the store we ran into next. A big, red sign sat at the store front, stating my impending doom boldly in white font: "WHITE DAY TOMORROW, SUPER SALE."

I sighed, putting my palms against the glass and lightly banged my head against it. I felt a light pat on my back, and turned my head towards Kari. Her eyebrows were furrowed, lips slanted at an angle. She pulled back her hand to cross her arms. "Tai, "she said sternly. "I'm sure she'll like whatever you get her. You're thinking way too hard about this."

"Look, I appreciate your help, Kari," I said. "But you don't know Sora like I do. You weren't there when she got mad at me the last time I gave her something! It has to be _perfect_."

We entered another store – one filled with sweets and other goodies galore. The aroma of chocolate filled my nostrils, making me practically foam at the mouth. Kari had to nudge me hard in the waist to get me to stop being "such a slob." Hey, I was a sucker for chocolate! As I rubbed my side from the ache, I browsed through the selections. Alright, I guess chocolate would do. _For now. _I lifted a small, heart-shaped box adorned with a little white bow, reading the inscription. _Assorted filled, all covered in white chocolate._ Mmm. I closed my eyes just thinking of devouring the whole thing on the spot.

"Don't forget who you're shopping for, Tai," Kari remarked. I snapped back into reality and let out a nervous laugh.

"I think these are nice. I mean, I'm getting her other stuff, too, so this can be, like, part one," I stated, firmly gripping the box of chocolates tightly. I nodded my head in self-approval.

"Wait, you're getting her more things, too?" she asked. I continued nodding my head, promptly heading over to the cashier. Kari remained silent until we walked out of the store. I was quite proud of my purchase: part number one of Sora's White Day.

"Can I ask you something?" Kari said quietly to me.

I turned to her and joked, "You just did."

She rolled her eyes, softly chuckling, and shook her head. "Silly brother. What did Sora get you for Valentine's Day?"

I paused. This was about to make for an awkward conversation. I was sure if I told her, she'd get the wrong idea because she didn't _get _Sora and me. Our friendship was just weird… but unique. I didn't know how to explain it – we were just _us. _Anyone that wasn't Sora Takenouchi or Taichi Kamiya just wouldn't understand. I raised my eyebrows, suspiciously responding slowly, "Mmmmm, whyyyyy do you asssskkkkk?"

"Because I want to know if my assumptions are correct, " she said matter-of-factly. I groaned. I trusted my own sister, but she would not let me live down this moment for another second of my life. I guess she already had a collection of embarrassing stories about me so what was one more to add to that?

"Fiiine. I mean, it's not even a _big deal, _anyway! She got me chocolate in the shape of a soccer ball. Assumed wrong, I presume?"

Kari had a sly smiled plastered permanently across her lips, and poked me in the stomach. "What _kind _of chocolate?"

I felt my face grow hot, probably burning bright red at this point. "HonmeiChocosNoBigDeal," I muttered quickly. I began to speed walk past Kari, who was now laughing uncontrollably. I strolled on faster, and felt a tug at my arm. I was pulled back forcibly, and groaned as I awaited more taunts from Kari.

Honmei-choco. Girls gave guys honmei-choco on Valentine's day – a fancier, higher quality of chocolate, sometimes shaped like something – if they're … special in their lives. _Usually, _given to a – ugh, I couldn't even say it with a straight face – _romantic interest, _but it was NOT even like that with Sora and me.

"I'm sorry," Kari stifled out, trying to keep from laughing. "It's cute – it's sweet. Tai, I'm so happy for you."

"It's not like that! She even said herself she only got it because she liked that it was molded to look like a soccer ball. Don't assume anything!" I snapped. I could tell she didn't believe me, as she was squinting her eyes at me and smiling like she had just figured out a difficult puzzle.

"Oh, Tai. You don't even know. You've got it," Kari said. If you're confused now, you couldn't even imagine how confused _I _was at this point.

"I've got what?" I asked, clearly not understanding. How was I related to this girl? "You're being awfully cryptic and I'm not following."

"You've got the butterflies," she said, poking my stomach again. I gave her a blank stare, waiting for an explanation but twenty seconds of silence followed shortly after her little statement. My curiosity couldn't stand it.

"…The what?" I asked finally, stupefied.

"The butterflies, Tai!" she teased. Yeah, like I'm supposed to know what that means.

"… Again, the _what?"_

Kari sighed in frustration, shaking her head. She placed her hands on my shoulders, firmly gripping them. She intensely exclaimed, "You _obviously_ have feelings for Sora!" My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. How _dare _she even say that? That's just… that's just… No! That is just _wrong. _

"That's – obviously not – how can you even say – I can't even – just – _no_!" I spluttered out, raising my voice louder and, oddly, higher-pitched. My mind was so blown out of proportion from the ridiculousness of such an idea that I couldn't even form words properly, which probably wasn't helping with the whole I-totally-don't-like-Sora-that-way point I was trying to make. I took a deep breath, deciding I needed to maintain a calm composure in order to get my point across. "Okay. I can get where you're coming from – but, Kari, believe me, what Sora and I have is _completely _platonic. Valentine's Day and White Day doesn't always equal romance! I mean, look at you and T.K.! You got him something for Valentine's Day! He's probably getting you something in return! Doesn't mean anything!"

Clearly amused, Kari beamed. "Oh, Tai. Someday you'll see it. That 'what' you're so confused about – the butterflies? You'll feel 'em sooner or later. Say, I've gotta meet with Yolei and the others now. Think you could finish up shopping yourself?"

I nodded, defeated. No matter how much I denied anything, Kari was a stubborn one and she wouldn't listen to a word I'd say. I gave her a quick hug, joking, "Sis, you're a brat, but thanks for coming with me today. I'll be fine for the rest of the evening."

She left, and although I wasn't arguing with her anymore, the thought of these "butterflies" kept lingering on my mind.

* * *

Ah. Finally done. I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment as I stuffed all of the goodies together into a single big bag. Who would have thought shopping would take so much work? I wasn't entirely sure if Sora would like anything I got her, but, hey, it was the thought that counted and if she got mad at me again, I'd figure something out with the lovable Tai charm I had. I gulped. Well, I was hoping I was not going to have to pull out the Tai charm out altogether. I had my share of screw ups with Sora, but this time I think I've got it right.

I strolled down the street, whistling to myself. It was actually quite nice out – a gentle breeze calming the busy atmosphere of people bustling through the streets, despite the warm rays of the sun beating down on us. It would have been a nice day out to play soccer with Sora, but I had told her I procrastinated on one of my homework assignments (which wasn't exactly a lie). Hey, don't judge – I did it for the good of White Day. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face tomorrow when she opened her presents. I stopped in my tracks. On second thought, maybe I shouldn't be there tomorrow. What if she _did _mad at me again? How embarrassing would that be – after all of this difficult time shopping? I supposed I'd figure something out, but I concluded that I shouldn't be there with her when she opens them tomorrow. I'd just hope for the best, and face the wrath later.

"HAH!"

A jolt of sharp pain spread in my shoulder as I felt something shove me to the side, forcing me to drop my bag as I tried to avoid falling. I stumbled on my feet as I was trying to make sense of what was happening. Having recovered my balance, I looked up to see the figure that forced its way into my path grabbing my bag, and taking off running. Was this seriously happening? "HEY! STOP!" I yelled. A passerby had come to my side, asking if I was okay, but I couldn't focus. Oh. My. God. Sora's gifts! I gave the stranger a quick nod, stuttering, "I-I'm fine!" and took off sprinting.

"GET! BACK! HERE! THIEF!" I shrieked. The person had to have been a guy, dressed in a baggy, navy blue hooded sweatshirt and khaki shorts. Weird combination of clothes, I had to note, but whatever – this guy was going _down. _I panted, feeling my pulse racing, trying to imagine myself on the soccer field and running towards my goal.

The thief turned the corner, heading towards the local park. Man, this guy was fast – but he wasn't going to get away with stealing Sora's gifts. All I could hear were gasps of people that we passed by, with constant thudding of our feet pounding against the grass. I nearly slipped as we ran downhill toward the lake. Why was this thief trying to trap himself in a corner by going to the lake? Whatever – this guy did _not _know who he was messing with.

He began to slow down, probably realizing that he was _heading right for the water. _Determined, I bent my knees to build up some momentum, intent on tackling this guy down. He approached the edge of the water, and made a sharp turn around to face me, dropping the bag to the ground. By then, it was too late.

I found myself flying into the air, arms out, teeth gritted – screaming for dramatic effect.

Only, I recognized the guy I was about to pummel into the lake, along with me on top of him.

Davis Motomiya.

Suddenly, my wails went from, "AAARGGGHHHHH" to "AAAARRRrrghhhhuuuhhh?"

His eyes widened in fear as he realized I was about to tackle him, and then he closed his eyes shut, putting his arms in front of his face, preparing for the impact. He shouted, "NOOOO!" Those five seconds of me throwing myself into the air seemed to have expanded into five hours, because everything was happening in slow motion now. As I flew towards him, a million questions ran in my mind, and suddenly tackling the "thief" into the water wasn't such a good idea anymore.

_SPLASH_.

I felt a rush of water fill up my nostrils, and I was sure I accidentally swallowed a nasty amount of it – everything suddenly went from slow motion to world-spinning-way-too-fast mode. At first, I saw only darkness, and it terrified me. My body hurt upon the impact of tackling Davis, but my first instinct was to get out of the nasty, most likely contaminated, dirty lake water. We had both hit the muddy floor of the lake since we were on the shallow edge. I jerked my head up and forced my body towards the lake shore, finally gasping for air. I coughed violently, trying to breathe and spit out any water that was still in my mouth. Davis did the same, struggling to get up. I lent him my hand, and we scampered back towards land.

Still coughing, I managed to blurt out, "What – the – HECK – were you – THINKING!"

Soaked, Davis took off his hoodie, tossing it to the side. He laid down with his back to the ground, breathing heavily.

"I thought it would be funny!" he said. I nearly fell on the ground.

"You thought it would be FUNNY to steal someone's bag in public?! My BAG gets STOLEN in PUBLIC, and I'm supposed to think it's _funny?!" _

Davis scratched his head, embarrassed. He chuckled nervously. "Well, I was going to turn around and say, 'Hey, surprise! It's just me!' but then you decided to turn into Superman and tackled me like I'm some bad guy!" He paused. "Okay, I can now see how dumb this was, but it kind of makes for a funny story _now, _right? Kari told me I could catch you by the shopping district and I thought it'd be, I don't know, clever!"

I sighed, bringing myself down to his level. "Don't ever do that again." After a few seconds, I started to laugh, because it _would _be an amusing story to tell Sora later. _Sora_! I got up quickly, and ran over to the shopping bag. I shifted through the items inside, making sure nothing was damaged. All crystal clear – phew.

"Well, now I know if _I _get mugged, I can count on you to catch the thief for me!" Davis said sheepishly, grinning. I shivered, just now realizing how cold and drenched I was, not to mention coated with mud. I sighed in relief, clutching the bag closely to me and looking up at the sky, thinking of how grateful I was that nothing had happened to Sora's presents.

* * *

A little bell rang as the door shut behind her. Sora took a deep breath in and out, catching a whiff of fresh flowers as she walked toward the back of the store. She gently touched the petals of each flower arrangement with one hand as she passed by, smiling. She was carrying a rectangular box of chocolate with the other.

"Oh, Sora! Grab a white rose from the pot next to you, will you, honey?" she heard a voice from behind the counter. Sora perked up, surprised her mother had known it was her. Obeying, she plucked out the biggest one, smelling its sweet aroma before she set it onto the table, and then proceeded to open her box of chocolates, debating which one to eat first. Sora's mother popped up from behind the counter.

"Oh, sweetie, who gave you those?"

"Matt," Sora replied promptly, focusing on the chocolate with the dark streaks.

Her mother smiled. "That's awfully nice of him. You've got quite a few eyes on you, don't you, young lady?"

Having already stuffed the chocolate in her face, Sora almost choked. "It's just _one guy_, Mom. Plus, we're just friends!" she said, embarrassed.

"Oh, really?" her mother quipped slyly. "Well, Sora, watch the counter for me while I go in the back real quick? Oh, the white rose is for _you, _and the rest of it is also for you behind the cash register."

"Wait, what?" Sora asked, but her mother had already slipped behind the door in the back of the room.

Suspicious, she made her way around the corner, leaving the box of chocolate and white rose on the table counter. She peered behind the cash register, widening her eyes as she spotted a knee-high, white box on the floor. Wrapped tightly with a red bow on top, she lifted the box to set it onto the counter. _No tags, _she thought. She opened her mouth, about to yell for her mother, but she decided against it. _Did she mean this was for me?_

Sora pulled the ribbon, slowly as to preserve its perfection. She lifted open the lid, and gave out a small chuckle as she realized what it was. The first thing she saw was a stuffed Godzilla, wearing some goggles that were obviously oversized for the beast so the straps were wrapped around its neck. She shook her head, laughing and rolling her eyes. This could have come from only one person. _How nice of him to drop this off when he called out sick of school today. That idiot. He should've been in bed the whole day! _

She gave the Godzilla a quick hug, setting him on top of Matt's box of chocolates. Next, she shifted through the tissue paper, finding a heart-shaped box next. Something was scribbled across its cover. Lifting it, she brought it close to her face, squinting to see if she were just seeing things. On the box, the brand, _Godiva Chocolate, _was crossed off with sharpie, and instead written - rather messily, Sora observed – "Awesome (SorryThey'reNotHomemade) Chocolate." She grinned, then bit her lip to stifle her nearly uncontrollable guffaws.

Crumbling the remaining tissue paper inside the box, Sora was sure there wasn't anything else. She shifted through the little treasure, grabbing what was left of tissue paper and tossing it to the side, until she suddenly touched something with a hard, yet smooth, surface. She did a double take, fixating on what was inside. She pulled out a small, long rectangular sky blue box. Sora lifted its lid open, and a small note quickly fell to the ground, but it didn't immediately occur to her to pick it up. Instead, she was distracted by what remained inside the box. She lifted it up gently, wrapping her fingers around its silver chains. _A necklace? _She thought. She stared in awe as she lifted it toward her eyes, examining its beauty. It glimmered as she traced her fingers along the piece of jewelry, examining the bejeweled bird that was attached onto the necklace. Its wings spread along its side, with its head fiercely pointing upward. It reminded her of Biyomon, a dear, old friend.

"Wow," she whispered to herself. She took a step back in disbelief, having thought he wouldn't have bothered getting anything for her. She heard a crumpling sound beneath her foot, and gasped. _The note! _She immediately bent down to pick it up, unfolding it.

_To Sora,_

_Hope you like the presents. Please don't get mad at me if you don't like them. Long story short, I had to go through the depths of the darkest ocean and fought against a nasty Ogremon along the way to get them and that's why I got sick. I'll tell you about it someday. Happy White Day._

_Love,  
T__ai_

* * *

I sniffed in loudly, shuddering at the awful taste of snot running down my throat. I sighed, covering myself with my blanket and took in its warmth. I knew that damn lake was contaminated with diseases and germs and – _achoo! _

I wondered if she liked the gifts – or if she even got them by now. I hoped her mom told her it was from me. I smiled, closing my eyes. Either way, it was worth tackling Davis. I loved the kid but I'd always wanted to do that. It would definitely be worth it if I find out that Sora loved the presents. I wondered if she got any other presents from other guys... I mean, not that it mattered.

Suddenly, I bolted upright. My head was throbbing and I felt my heart pounding as a sinking feeling set inside my thoughts. Aw, crap. Crap, crap, _crap_.

Did I write "Love, Tai" instead of "From, Tai" again?!

* * *

**Author's note: **First, I changed my pen name from DaggerLy2 to remaerd x. Second, thank you for the kind words, Sora Loves Rain &amp; DutchGirl - it lets me know that I should keep going, and that someone out there is taking the time to read about this crazy love story! Much love, I do appreciate it. Thanks to the favorites and follows as well. Please take the time to leave some feedback by reviewing, readers! Oh, and lastly! I did some research on White Day in Japan thanks to my friend, Google, but if anything's inaccurate, I apologize! _Next time:_ The When.


	3. The When

_When I first realized I was maybe, possibly – okay, madly – in love with her, things didn't go exactly as planned. _

_I guess you don't really realize what you have until you lose it. _

**The When. **

"I have no idea how this could be both the best and worst possible birthday present I've received in my life."

"Stop being overdramatic, Tai!"

Today was my fourteenth birthday. Today was also apparently let's-torture-Tai-and-make-him-think day. You see, Sora had created this whole scavenger hunt thing that she thought would be fun for me. Okay, yeah, it has been fun – especially since I've just been with Sora all morning and we've been laughing and sharing stories the whole time – but I wasn't used to someone going out of their way for me on my birthday to think of something as creative as this.

Let me back up. This scavenger hunt had a list of riddles of places I needed to go to find part of my birthday present. My first clue was, "_A place of laughter and sun-soaked fun. Green, green grass – a summer breeze. I am a sanctuary and I changed your destiny in seconds. I burn in the summer, but on that fateful day, I froze everything."_

That one was easy. It was clearly the summer camp we went to years ago - the one that changed our lives forever. We went from normal, dorky kids to pretty cool Digidestined. However, when we raced over to the summer camp, my present was … quite unexpected. We had arrived at the camp grounds, with everything still intact as always. Ah, childhood memories. I saw my gift sitting under the cherry blossom tree (because why else would a blue gift box be there otherwise?), and could you guess what was inside? An eraser. Yeah, seriously, an eraser. Oh, and that's not all of it – my second riddle and gift was located at school. The present? It was a rubber band. A RUBBER BAND! I didn't understand what Sora was getting at, but this made me all the more curious. I'm not materialistic, but what was with the bizarre gifts?

Suddenly, Sora nudged my hip, prompting me to look up at her. She smiled, brushing her orange locks out of her eyes. She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Tai, I know thinking isn't your best trait, but I know you can do this." She laughed uncontrollably as I groaned in frustration, playfully pushing her hand away.

I flashed her a grin. "You know, this is one of the weirdest things I've done in my life, which, you know, is saying a lot considering I've met digital monsters and have saved the world once or twice."

I rubbed my forehead as if that was going to help me think harder. I read the clue out loud again,

"'_In something like a garden you will see_

_A special gift from you to me._

_But this place is like none before, _

_It gives people something more. '"_

I glared at Sora as she tightly closed her mouth from keep from giggling again. She sighed softly, smiling from ear to ear. I couldn't help but smile back. She said, "Okay, I'm sorry, that one is a little vague. How about I give you a hint?" I nodded eagerly. She put her hand to her chin and looked up, rubbing her finger against her skin as she furrowed her eyebrows, clearly thinking. I chuckled softly, contemplating to myself how I had such an amazing girl next to me.

Finally, she murmured slowly, "This is a place I can't escape… I help others shop for their mates."

At first, I still had no clue what the heck this riddle was trying to tell me. Then, I realized – "escape."

Sora had always had a difficult time connecting with her mother. Things have been better, of course, but sometimes she has to help her mother out at their flower shop, which takes away some of her free time, leading to some clashes within the mother-daughter dynamic. It's a family-owned business, so it certainly is not a place she can "escape."

I grabbed Sora's hand excitedly, pulling her behind me. "Woah!" She yelped, surprised, almost tripping over her feet. "So you know where we're going?!" She yelled over to me.

"I can't believe I didn't get this earlier!"

* * *

The bell rang as I opened the door to the Takenouchi's flower shop. The sweet aromas filled my nostrils, and I inhaled slowly. At the counter, Sora's mother looked up from arranging her flowers, smiling as she saw us walking toward her. She bent down below the table, popping back up with a blue gift box in her hand. She handed it to me, and then put her hand on my shoulder, "Happy birthday, Tai." I thanked her as she disappeared into the back room, carrying her flower arrangement with her.

I grinned over at Sora, who smirked as I began to open her present…

… and found a string of yarn.

I squinted, examining the string as if it was supposed to be something more, looking over at Sora as she beamed as if she had just given me a million dollars.

"Sora, I have no idea where you're getting at, but I've had so much fun today so far that I don't care."

"Do you trust me?" she replied.

"I trust you one hundred and ten percent. Though, now I'm questioning myself… and my life… and everything and everyone in it."

"Read the last clue, silly."

I pulled out Sora's list of scavenger hunt clues from my pocket. Last one, here we go. I read aloud,

"'_Dorothy tapped her ruby shoes for this wish. _

_Sometimes I'm in the heart. _

_You're more comfortable here, and after a long, long trip, _

_you just want to come back to me.'" _

I knew exactly where I was going: home.

* * *

When we reached the foot of my door, Sora grabbed my hand before I reached for the door knob.

"Hold up, now's the time for some debriefing," she said promptly. I sighed in relief.

"Finally! I was thinking that I'd maybe be using the eraser, rubber band, and string to, like, beat up Devimon if he ever came back, but it'd be great if you could tell me what they're really for."

I held the items in my palm, and she placed her hand underneath mine. She looked me in the eyes, clearly excited to finally tell me her plan. Hopefully it's not an evil plan.

"Tai, you hold the Crest of Courage. You're the bravest person I know, but let's be real. I know we all get stressed out. Even the greatest leaders break down. So, I thought of these items to help you de-stress – to help you get back up when it seems like no one is around, not even me."

She took the eraser from my hand and held it between her fingers. "This eraser is to make all of the little mistakes disappear." She placed it back onto my palm, and, next, held up the rubber band. "An elastic to help you stretch beyond your limits."

Finally, she exchanged the rubber band for the string. "And a string to help you hold it together when it's falling apart."

I can't quite explain here in words, but the best way I can explain it was that this meant more to me than anything ever did before. I could not believe how much meaning she put behind these simple items. "Sora-" I started, but she cut me off.

"Your real present is inside your house. I did give you an actual present besides these simple items, silly. Oh! Oh, wait! I totally forgot. I do have one more thing to give you, as part of this scavenger hunt, but I didn't quite know where to put it without someone else taking it." She paused, and then continued, "A kiss."

I froze. Immediately, I felt my face turn hot from just about every emotion that overcame me – anxiety, embarrassment, confusion … excitement? I saw her lips moving, but I couldn't hear a thing. All I could focus on was just that – her lips. She was going to _kiss _me?

Okay, I'll admit it - I freaked out. I cut her off, completely blubbering out, "I've never done it before so it would be my first time but it's you, so it's okay, but what if I'm bad at it and, like –"

"Wait, what?" She asked, confused.

Silence.

While I was having a mini panic attack in my head, and while I had only been focusing on her lips and tuned out everything else – I had failed to see what she had reached out from her bag and put in her palm in front of me –

A Hershey's kiss chocolate.

… THAT kind of kiss.

Oh. _Crap. _

She finished what she was saying before when I wasn't paying attention to her, "….A kiss to remind you that someone loves you. Tai… Did you think…?"

I snatched the chocolate out of her hand, laughing nervously, and quickly tried to cover up, "WHAT? I LOVE these chocolates! JUST LOVE THEM!"

At this point, both of our faces were bright red. I was expecting her to start laughing at me and make fun of me, but her face seemed just genuinely taken back in shock. She stammered, "I-I, I mean, if you were thinking that I was going to –"

"HEEEEY, let's go inside my house. We can talk inside!"

"Wait -"

I opened the door, and the lights flicked on as soon as I quickly stepped inside. I heard bodies rustling, and suddenly a dozen or so people jumped before me, yelling, "SURPRIIIIISE!"

A surprise party, on top of all of this birthday madness. This Sora girl – she's amazing.

And I'm an idiot.

Before I knew it, I was being pulled away from her by my surprise guests. As I was being dragged from Sora, I looked back at her in a desperate attempt to mentally urge her, "I'm sorry. We'll talk about this later." She nodded, as if she understood my message, and exchanged a sad smile with me. Her eyes seemed to reply, "Okay. We'll talk about this later."

But we never did.

* * *

_Months later_

* * *

"I can't believe you're really doing this, Tai."

"I know, I know – shut up. Just because I have the Crest of Courage doesn't always mean I'm brave in every situation. Oh, shh, shh – there she is!"

I gulped. After ages of contemplating, I had finally decided to ask Sora out. I mean, it wasn't the fact that I was questioning whether I _should _ask her out – that, I knew for a fact. No, the reason I took so long was simply because I was scared. I'll admit it. This was going to be a huge deal. It felt right, but I just couldn't find the courage to do it until now.

I continued walking silently alongside Agumon until my eye caught a glimpse of Sora. She was shivering, holding a green box besides Biyomon. She stood outside of a doorway, staring at it. I walked faster, determined, yet scared out of my mind.

"Sora! Wait up."

She turned around, taken back. "O-Oh, Tai." Suddenly, her eyes widened as she realized she was holding the green box, and she shifted her body away as if to hide it from me.

Agumon blurted out, "Something smells good!"

I inhaled quickly, mentally agreeing with him. It smelled like some of the cookies Sora's baked for me before.

Gabumon opened the door, surprising all of us from his sudden appearance. He smiled, taking the box from Sora. He stated, "Matt's busy getting ready, but I'll take those to him!"

I took a deep breath and started speaking, cautiously choosing my words, "So, um, Sora? Are you going to the concert with anybody? I mean, not that it matters to me… Just wondering."

Sora paused, looking me directly in the eyes. Her smile faded away. "No," she said. "I want to be available in case Matt's free afterwards…"

She looked down at her feet as soon as she said Matt's name.

My heart sank. It literally sank. Okay, not literally. It just …. did.

"O-Oh, I see, " I stammered. "Matt, huh."

Inside, this was killing me, but something took a hold of me and allowed me to put on a front. I took a step toward her, resting my hand on her shoulder, and continued, "It's okay."

She said softly, "You're not mad at me, Tai?"

I gave her a sad smile, pushing her gently toward the doorway. "No, of course not."

I really wasn't. How could I ever be mad at her for this? There was only myself to blame. "Now get in there and go say 'hi' to Matt for me!"

"Thanks, Tai," she said in almost a whisper.

Agumon waved his arms in frustration. "The least you can do is leave us the cookies!"

Sora smiled, looking at Agumon, and then focused on me. "Tell you what. I'll make some special ones for you." And just like that, she turned around and left.

Not going to lie – what I was feeling was like nothing I've felt before, but I couldn't help but smile. "I'll be waiting. Thanks," I said to myself. I continued staring into the doorway even though she had disappeared. I didn't know what else to say or do. I didn't know how to feel. I was just… present. Blank.

"You know what, Tai?" Agumon asked me. His arms were on his hips.

"What?" I said quietly.

"You've really grown up!"

Part of me believed him, but if this was what growing up was like, then I just want to stay small and naïve because this wasn't what I wanted or expected, and the thought of what the future has in store for me after this terrified me.

I kept trying to tell myself that this would not be a big deal if she had said no. I mean, of course I played out all of the possible scenarios of what would happen after I ask her out. I just didn't think this scenario would be playing out.

I guess my feelings for her are stronger than I thought.

I just wish I had realized this sooner.

* * *

**Author's note: **Yeah, I know. I had a huge hiatus because of writer's block, got busy with life, and finally got around to writing this. This chapter was originally much different but I was never satisfied with it. So, this was the only outcome I was happy with (even though I do hate myself for doing this to Tai!).

Also, side note, DIGIMON ADVENTURE TRI is officially coming out as a 6-part movie, starting in November. Bummer that it's half of a year from now, AND it will no longer be a TV series, but the teaser video has me so excited for what's to come. If you haven't seen it, go search it up and watch! Exciting stuff.

Please leave feedback (: Thank you for reading, and for those who read this story when it first came out, I'm sorry it took so long to write this and thank you for continuing to read.


	4. The Where, Part I

_Okay, so life threw me a curveball. I forgot to mention that. What's a love story without some heartache? After all, the heart was where it started. I allowed myself to embrace the vulnerability. It was really quite a terrible feeling, but, looking back now, I feel as though it _had _to happen. Otherwise, I would have never been able to move forward. If none of that drama ever happened, I'd be at the same place I'd always been. _

_Nowhere. _

**The Where.**

\- Part I -

_"Tai... Did you think...?"_

_He took a step toward her, cupping her hands with his. At first, he felt foolish for mistaking what she had meant by a "kiss." He cast his thoughts aside, letting go of his doubts. He knew taking this risk would be worth it. The opportunity needed to be seized now. He was the carrier of the Crest of Courage; nothing would be able to stop him. Certainly, nothing had ever felt so right. 'Just go with it,' he thought to himself. 'No more waiting. Fear won't control me this time.' He leaned down toward her, resting his forehead against hers. __She shivered as his touch sent chills throughout her body. __Their proximity, their closeness - nothing felt strange for either of them. Destiny was settling into the pathway intended for the two. They were always more than friends and less than lovers, but today that would all change. She closed her eyes, feeling his gentle breaths against her skin. He whispered to her, "Sora, I -"_

\- am so stupid.

I pulled the cotton string in my hands from one end to the other, paying little attention to the thunder showers that cackled outside. Daydreams were my way of escaping. The whistle of the winds rattled my windows, sending a slight, chilly breeze through its cracks, but I still felt nothing. I wasn't quite numb. I was present, but I wasn't all there. I hate to be dramatic, but I felt almost empty. I set the string aside and moved on to trace the outline of an eraser set on my desk. My lips tugged downwards into a slight frown, letting out a soft sigh. I began to toss the vinyl eraser into the air, alternating hands to catch it once gravity began doing its job.

It was a Saturday morning, and the New Year had just rung in not too long ago. This would have been great if I had spent New Year's Eve with the only girl I have wanted to kiss, but knowing she was with someone else that night was hard to take in. I'll get over it, I kept telling myself, but it's been about a month since I've tried asking out Sora and this was still on my mind.

Thunder roared louder outside, with flashes of lightning brightening through my curtains. I jolted from the sound, snapping back into reality. I continued tossing the eraser into the air, trying to push the regret and guilt into the back of my mind. Like, the way, way back. I so did not need this right now.

If only this eraser really could make my mistakes disappear.

Suddenly, a series of knocks came from outside my door. Startled, I missed catching the eraser by a second, hearing it make a light _thunk _on the ground. Groaning to myself, I picked it up and tossed it back onto my desk. "Yeah?" I yelled.

The door creaked open just a bit, enough for me to see Kari trying to discreetly peer in. I gestured for her to come in – not that I had a choice. Bratty little sisters. She swung the door open, ambling in and quickly making a spot for herself on my bed. At this point I had grabbed the rubber band on my desk, fiddling around with it in between my fingers. I tested its elasticity, stretching it with both of my hands. You could tell it was unused – its yellow binding intact, its strength still refusing to let its life end now. This was a stubborn rubber band, as I tried to tug it harder, but it would not go beyond its limits.

"Tai," Kari spoke gently. "I heard about Sora and –"

"I know," I snapped, quickly regretting raising my voice at her. I know she meant well, but I wasn't comfortable talking about this to my little sister, of all people. "I mean, I _know. _It's okay."

"But _is _it?" she inquired.

"It really is," I said, once again trying to stretch the rubber band as far as I could. I was getting frustrated with its seemingly impossible power to be pulled apart – to snap, to show it has _some _kind of weakness. Everything has a weak spot. Humans aren't the only things that can break. I can't be the only one who can be hurt. Why isn't this damn thing showing any signs of vulnerability?!

"Okay," Kari murmured, clearly sounding annoyed but holding back. "I just wanted to check in on you. Just because you're the big brother doesn't mean I can't take care of you, too."

"Thanks, but I don't need to be taken care of. I'll get over it."

Kari stood up, placing her hands on her hips. She furrowed her eyebrows, and took a step toward me. I averted my gaze, focusing on the rubber band I was trying to destroy – I mean, play around with. "Why do you always do this?" she demanded. "Why do you always avoid talking about how you really feel about these things? We all knew you liked Sora for the longest time, yet you never did anything! You let Matt take a step forward first, and look what happened - "

"Kari," I snarled. "I didn't '_let_' anyone do anything. She chose him, I lucked out, he snagged the girl. I was too late and it's _okay." _I paused as she raised her eyebrows. "Okay, it's _not _okay. But what more can I do? What do you want me to say? That I should go ahead and steal my best friend's girlfriend away from him? That I should try to confess my feelings to her, only to get rejected _again? _I can only take so much, Kari. It's _fine – "_

"It's not fine – " she butted in.

I rose up from my chair, glaring down at her. "Okay, it's _not _fine. You've said it before - I've had butterflies in my stomach but I realized too late. The butterflies aren't gone, Kari; they're dead. And. There's. Nothing. I. Can. Do!" Suddenly, the rubber band snapped in half as I raised my voice with each word. It ricocheted off of my thumb, pinching into my skin for a second before it dropped – its last moment of revenge. I didn't mean to sound so hateful and angry, but I was just not in a place where this was something I could just talk about as a civilized human being without having my emotions take control of me. I knew I went too far, though. Kari appeared startled at first, and then she shook her head, disappointed and frustrated. She began to walk toward the door, not bothering to say anything or taking a second to look back. I felt a rush of guilt flood within me – again.

"Kari, wait. I'm sorry," I desperately cried. I put my hands behind my head and sank back down into my chair. I used one foot to swing myself back and forth in the chair, trying to find the right words to say – words that'll be rational. "I'm just not where I would like to be right now. You were right. It's not okay. I'm not fine, but I'll get over it. Someday, somehow, somewhere... I'll be in a better place."

She put her hand on the doorknob, smiling slightly. She said, "I know," and then shut the door behind her. The thunder showers died down, but you could still hear the pitter patter of the rain, washing away the city. I just wish it would drown out the sorrows.

I couldn't help but stare at the rubber band, now two halves, laying on the ground.

If I was an object, I'd be a rubber band – strong at first, but far too weak to reach beyond the limits.

* * *

_One Month Later_

* * *

"Yo, Matt. This is pretty sketchy. I mean, I know we're best friends, but you know I can't let you cheat on Sora with me." I grinned. Matt and I had met up after school by the baseball field, sitting on the bleachers. Snowflakes danced around us, piercing my skin with an icy, cold touch. I shivered underneath my scarf, glancing over at Matt. He had insisted on us meeting alone after class. He made a huge emphasis on the "alone" part. He made me promise not to tell anyone about our meeting, "_especially_ Sora."

Things between the three of us have been surprisingly normal. I'm not going to lie; I was initially kind of upset that she had picked him over me. Okay, like, _really_ upset. Hell, it still bothers me now to a slight degree, but I haven't let it affect our friendship. My friendship with Sora was still strong, but only because we have never talked about … the incidents. You know, like the day I thought she was going to kiss me, or the day I tried to ask her out. Considering those two moments were probably the most embarrassing of my life, things were going well between her and me. I guess that's what happens when you avoid things like that on purpose.

Matt forced a chuckle. His baby blue eyes returned my gaze and locked onto mine. Those eyes - no wonder girls, and Sora, were suckers for this pretty boy. "Listen," he said. He paused. My heart started to beat faster as I started to feel anxious. I really had no idea what this little meeting was all about. He continued, "I wanted to ask you… Is there anything going on between you and Sora?"

Okay, figures. It makes total sense for Sora to be a topic. On the other hand, and I don't know how it was even possible, it _also_ made no sense whatsoever at the same time. Even though he probably knew I liked her, he knows I haven't tried to do anything. He knows I _wouldn't _try to do anything. Even though I was beginning to think my friendship with her could have grown into something more, I could never break apart two of my best friends. I had no say in the matter.

"Do you seriously have to ask me that?" I asked, joking. He stared at me and didn't even crack a smile. I frowned. "No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I guess this is kind of a confession," he said, clasping his hands together tightly, focusing his attention onto the baseball field before us. "I've always felt… guilty for not telling you that I had a thing for Sora. I mean, you were – _are – _best friends. I thought maybe someday you'd ask her out –" at this point, I winced, but he didn't notice – "but since you didn't, I thought maybe I'd take a chance." He looked back at me, as if urging me to say something.

I remained hesitant at first. He had a point – I was initially hurt that he didn't confide in me about liking her. I guess it might be because we're dudes, but we're still best friends. Best friends tell each other these kinds of things, right? I began to protest, "You're fine. You had every right to not tell me anything. That's something between you and her. You don't have to tell me every detail of your life. I'm just surprised you don't trust me. You should know I would never do anything to get in the way between you and Sora."

We saw the school softball team begin filing into the field, taking positions for practice. I thought, _Good grief, practicing softball in the snow. I'm glad soccer practice isn't during winter. _ I remember when I used to practice soccer with Sora all of the time, but now that she's into tennis, memories of us playing on the same team seemed so distant at this point. I took a deep breath in and out, watching as the batter attempted to swing. She missed.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Matt said defensively.

"Right," I replied sarcastically. He looked taken back.

"This is why I asked," he retorted, unclasping his hands and reaching for his backpack. He zipped it open, pulling out a small, sky blue box that was about the size of my palm, along with a white envelope. He handed it to me in silence. Suspiciously, it took me a moment to grab the items from his hands. Matt has always been the serious type, but today he was being especially brooding.

The envelope had my name on it, and I immediately recognized the handwriting.

It was from Sora.

I raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. I looked at him, and then back at the items. He shrugged, and looked away from me, now focusing on the softball practice. The batter had missed her shot again.

I opened the box first, revealing a small assortment of milk chocolate. "Don't eat those, Tai_chi_," Matt warned, without even looking at me.

"I'm not a pig, _Yamato_," I snapped. Though, I was secretly disappointed since I'm a huge sucker for chocolate, as you can tell. I sighed in relief as I realized they were giri-choco, meaning that there was no romantic meaning behind the gift; though, I could still see why Matt was suspicious of me, since Valentine's Day was just last week. I reached back over for the envelope. The seal had been broken, letting me acknowledge that Matt had already read its contents. I pulled out the letter inside, which read:

_Don't think I forgot about giving you something special on Valentine's Day._

_I was wondering if we could talk sometime._

_I think you might know what this is about._

Why does everyone suddenly think I need a therapist? I put the letter back into its envelope, and attempted to hand the items back to Matt. He folded his arms, refusing to grab hold. I set them onto the bleacher benches. "Matt, I think I have an idea of what she's talking about – "

"I know, and I don't want to know what it's about. I really do trust both of you, but when I see something like that in her house, I had to question myself, and both of you. Last week, Sora was sick, remember? I came to her house to help her clean around and I found these in the trash can. I noticed because the envelope was facing up with your name on it. I know I shouldn't have taken the items, but I was throwing out her trash anyway, and… curiosity just got the best of me."

Now I understood where his suspicions originated from, but I was mostly confused as to why Sora had even thought of me during a day like that, and why she just ended up trying to throw it away in the end. To be honest, part of me became ecstatic – the side of me that still has feelings for her even though I've been trying to move on. However, the other half of me thought… maybe she's playing mind games with me? And Matt? Why would she do this? This wasn't like her at all.

"I don't blame you, " I stated. "If I were you, I would've taken them, too. Have you talked to her about this?"

"No, " he replied. "I didn't want to stress her out even more. They were in the trash anyway, so I know she wasn't going to actually give them to you." My heart sank, realizing his words were true. He continued, "I just thought… that you deserved to get these items. They belong to you."

"I…" I didn't know what to say next. Did I really deserve to share part of a day like Valentine's Day with her, too? This was all too confusing. "… Thanks, I guess," I mumbled, unsure.

"I know she's my girlfriend, but you're both each other's best friend. I shouldn't get in the way of something like this. This would be different if it were honmei-choco, or if she actually gave them to you without telling me, but that's not the case."

My eyes widened, stunned at Matt's maturity at handling the whole situation. "That really means a lot, Matt."

"Though I do have to ask you…."

_Great_. "What?" I asked.

"Where are you now with this? Between the two of you?"

I replied simply, forming a sheepish grin, "Nowhere. Absolutely nowhere, Matt. I'm not anywhere at all. You two are dating. I'm going to be honest, I wasn't okay with the fact. I'm still somewhat not okay with it, but I accept things as how they are. I'm not a homewrecker. You both deserve to be happy."

If it hadn't been for Kari, this was the part where I probably would have exploded at him for asking me such questions. However, I've had over a month to think about this, and have had the time to at least _try _to be as realistic and mature about it as possible, no matter how hard it was. I mentally thanked Kari in my head for being the best little sister ever. Matt stood up suddenly, grabbing his backpack and swinging a single strap around his shoulder. He began to move downstairs of the bleachers in chilling silence, living up to his reputation as the lone wolf. He walked down about several steps before looking back at me.

"Tai," he said. "I think you and Sora should have that talk. I don't care what it's about. I trust the both of you, and I think she deserves to be happy. Obviously, you mean something to her, but she's holding back because of me. I know she just doesn't want me to get hurt."

He gave me a quick nod and continued his leave, not giving me a single glance back. The wind picked up, sending a chill down my spine. I looked up toward the sky, closing my eyes. I breathed in the crisp air, letting snowflakes melt onto my face. I heard a loud _thunk_ before me, and I opened my eyes to see that the girl had hit the softball hard enough with her bat to make a home run.

I sighed, picking up the envelope again, and traced her name over her handwriting with my finger.

* * *

Okay, this was driving me nuts. I bolted up from bed, turned on my lamp, and looked at my alarm clock. Ugh, only two minutes had passed since I last checked it. _11:11 P.M. _I couldn't sleep – not with all of what happened earlier today still remaining on my mind. I wish all of my problems would just go away - I just want to be happy, even if it meant I couldn't be with her. I sat upright on my bed, dangling my feet on the sides, tracing the floor with my toes. I stared at the ground, contemplating on what I should do. My toe suddenly rubbed against something rough, and I bent down to pick the item up.

The snapped rubber band – the one Sora had given me ages ago. Apparently I don't clean up my room all too well since I last saw this a month ago.

I spun it around, watching it twirl between my fingers, feeling pity toward it for not being utilized appropriately. Here I was, sitting alone in my bedroom, feeling sorry for an inanimate object. Maybe I really do need a therapist. I tossed the broken rubber band pieces onto my desk, right next to the eraser and string of yarn.

_An eraser to make your mistakes disappear._

_A string to help you hold things together when they fall apart._

_An elastic to help you stretch beyond your limits. _

I grabbed my cell phone and pulled it from its charger, scrolling down my contacts list, as I remembered Sora's last part of her scavenger hunt –

_A kiss to remind you that someone loves you._

"Hello? Sora? Can you come meet me right now?"

* * *

**Author's note: **First of all, thank you to those who read, reviewed, followed, or fav'd this story - I love reading the feedback.

So, this story is taking a HUGE turn away from my original direction, but I _think_ I'm liking where it's going. I have an idea of what's in store for the next chapter, which may or may not conclude "The Where" (I hadn't intended making it more than one part, but looks like this story is going to be longer than I expected). I'm hoping the next chapter is the last part, but I've started on it so far and it may stretch out to another two chapters. I don't really like making chapters _too _long, so that's why.

I know Tai is pretty emo in the beginning of this chapter, but I had to touch upon his temper and irrational thinking at some point. Sorry! I feel like I'm being so evil when writing Tai's character now! Lol. I will also (try to) promise to stop creating drama around chocolates and gifts, lol.

Thank you for continuing to read this story. As someone who is always doubting her writing, I appreciate the support and kind words.


	5. The Where, Part II

_My name is Sora Takenouchi, and I'm lost. _

_I guess it started when I realized I took his words and actions more seriously than anyone else's. I questioned myself. Like, why did I start caring so much about what he thought of me? Why was I becoming so quick to judge and analyze his every move? The more I cared, the more frustrated I became. I didn't know what to think of it, so, unbeknownst to me, I transferred my anger toward him. No matter how unjust I've treated him, he would come back to me, loyalty still intact. He was patient with me – confused, too, of course – but he did everything he could to reach out to me, even when I shut him out._

_At the time, I was in a place where I thought… maybe something more will happen. Perhaps something amazing. Should I say something? No – I couldn't. What if he didn't feel the same way? Our friendship would never recover... or, at least, _I _would never recover from the rejection. _

_Time went on. I waited… and I waited. Maybe he didn't feel the same way. I moved on. Or, so I believed. Now, I'm in a place I'm unfamiliar with, and it's not comfortable. I don't know where I'm at. _

_Did I make a mistake? _

**The Where.**

\- Part II –

_Three Years Ago_

"And _then _he's, like, 'Who can tell? You're always wearing a hat!' Could you _believe _him? First, he insults my hairstyle, and _then _he makes fun of my hats?! You think he's being a jerk, too, right, Mimi?"

I dragged my finger over my laptop's touchpad, positioning the cursor over the refresh button once more and clicking rapidly until it finally reloaded the page. Why hasn't he contacted me? _No new emails. _I groaned, slamming the laptop shut. I adjusted my cell phone, which was resting on my right shoulder. Mimi was on the other line, clearly having more fun than I was.

"Oh, Sora, will you just stop talking about your little boyfriend and listen to _my _stories? This summer sun in America is just_ soooo _gorgeous! I wish you were here! Hahahahahah!" Mimi exclaimed. I flinched at the loudness of her obnoxious cackles, pulling my phone away from my ear by a short distance and was still able to distinguish her laughter. I stood up, walking over to my window, which had a little perch where I sat myself down. I peered outside, noticing that the traffic lights had stopped working, causing a major jam outside. People were running around in a panic. Hmph, you'd think they saw a Digimon or something. Once I heard Mimi stop laughing, I brought my phone back toward me.

"Okay, first of all, he's not my boyfriend – why does everyone keep saying that? Second of all, we have the same sun as America, in Japan. And, lastly, this is serious! I don't know why I'm so fed up over this! Like, do I forgive him? Did you know he hasn't emailed me even _once_?" I bit my lip. This wasn't the first time I've been angry at Tai for something he's done. After all, he's thrown up in one of my hats without telling me before I put it on. On my birthday. Stupid Tai. This time felt different. I stared hard into my window, though this time trying to examine my reflection. Short, orange hair, flaring at its ends. I traced the edges of my cotton hat, tugging a loose thread away and let it fall gracefully to the floor. I stared at it dancing downward in slow motion before it softly hit the ground.

I felt like Tai and I shared a strong connection, and maybe that was why this whole ordeal was making me upset. We've been best friends since childhood, but people change. Perhaps I grew into someone he didn't like anymore. As much as I hated admitting it, I was coming close to the age where looks … _kind of _mattered to me. I squinted my eyes, trying to see if there was something missing in my reflection, but all I saw was plain ole me staring back, amber eyes and all. I didn't wear makeup like most girls were beginning to, but I had never thought I really needed any until now.

"Oooh, you two are so much like a bickering married old couple already!" Mimi exclaimed, far too excitedly. I groaned again. Sometimes this little lady would not take a hint. "I don't understand what the big deal is all about. He got you a hairclip, so what?" She gasped dramatically. "Oh _no,_ is it an _ugly _hairclip?"

I pulled the clip out of my pocket and twirled it between my fingers. It was bejeweled with a dainty sunflower, its yellow petals glowing with a natural light. The attaching clip was silver, making it an accessory that could easily fit with any outfit. I brought it closer to my eye, surprised at the detail behind the clip. It looked like it had been carefully crafted and uniquely hand painted. "Mmm," I mumbled. "No… It's very pretty…"

Mimi let out a significantly loud sigh of relief. "Goodness! Then, girl, I don't know what you're so worried about. I mean, he thinks you're cute and all, so I don't even know why you're freaking out."

"But what if he thinks – wait, what? He thinks I'm _cute_?" I was flabbergasted. For once, I was glad I wasn't around company because I felt my face burning up. "How do you know that?"

"Honey, I know _everything_," Mimi stated firmly. For someone who was known as the Gossip Queen, I still found it hard to believe her. "Maybe you care so much because you _liiike_ him? Hmmmm?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mimi. I'll talk to you later, okay? Have fun hitting the beaches."

"I'm already on a beach! Hahahahahaha! Okay, buh-bye!"

I leaned against the wall by the windowsill, gently tilting my head sideways on the smooth glass, thankful that it had a cool, almost icy, touch. I closed my eyes, continuing to twirl the hairclip in between my fingers. I knew I was being stubborn, but I still think he should have emailed me. Okay, he _did _give me a phone call, but he should have known I was too upset with him to talk to him directly! Though, I had to wonder… Did he really think I was cute? Mimi's a walking, talking, breathing source of gossip, but that's all they were – gossip stemmed from rumors and perhaps some truths. I was banking on that small chance that it may have been a truth. Wait a minute – why should I care if he thinks I'm cute or not?

My fluctuating emotions were now getting on my nerves. As much as I hated to admit or even think about it, the thought of Tai thinking that I was, maybe, _somewhat _attractive in even the smallest sense was really quite flattering for me. I mean, I had started noticing that Tai really wasn't bad looking himself.

I pulled my knees up toward my chest and hugged them. Okay, maybe I overreacted a bit on the hair clip, but it still didn't explain why he hadn't tried contacting me again in the last few hours. Bothered, I reached for my laptop and set it on my knees. Checking one more time wouldn't hurt…

_You've got mail._

"It's about time, " I mumbled. I read his email, muttering pieces of it aloud to myself, "'Dear Sora… Sorry… Haven't felt this bad since I threw up in your hat… So what's a few raindrops between friends? Love, Tai.'" My mouth went agape as I mentally read the email multiple times, as if it were about to delete itself, taking it in word by word. I smiled. "Stupid Tai…"

Stupid, but endlessly amazing Tai.

* * *

_Nearly Three Years Later_

* * *

Panting, I hurdled myself to my right, swinging my racket as hard as I could. The tennis ball soared over the net and landed hard onto the ground, ricocheting toward my opponent. Surprised, she attempted to catch the ball with her own racket, but missed by a slight second. Having been caught off guard, she did not have time to adjust her hand's position, hitting the ball with her racket at an awkward angle and sending it straight toward the net. It bounced limply onto the ground, rolling away from her. She wiped the sweat off her forehead, walking toward the ball, gesturing for me to come. I nodded and met her in the middle of the net.

"Good game," she said, high fiving me. "And you said you used to play soccer? Doesn't seem like it! What was your name again? Sora?"

"Yeah. Thanks," I replied, grinning. We began to walk toward the rest of the girls, who were all getting ready to go home for the day. I had never thought I'd play any sport other than soccer, but I guess things have changed. Gone were the days of elementary school and soccer; I was ready for something different in this new chapter of my life. I decided to try out for the school's tennis team. I had to admit that wearing a skirt for both class and for tennis wasn't so bad. Try-outs for the tennis team would be all week, which was an exciting time for me, but I was dreading one thing most of all – telling Tai about my new interest in a sport that wasn't soccer. I shuddered at the idea; I just knew he would have a sour taste in his mouth after I tell him. He had been asking me all week why I hadn't been to the soccer try-outs with him. Sooner or later, I'd have to tell him. I walked away from the group of girls so I could grab my belongings.

"Hey, Sora!"

I perked up to see that my opponent from earlier, as well as one of her friends, caught up with me as I began to pick up my clothes and backpack. "Yeah?" I asked.

"You hang out with _Yamato _Ishida, right?" she inquired, invading my personal space just a bit by standing just an inch or two away from my rather sweaty, unflattering face. I backed up as discreetly as possible to avoid being rude.

"You mean Matt? Yeah, uh, why?" I asked.

She shot a look at her friend, grinning. Her friend beamed in return. She locked her eyes back onto mine, exclaiming, "Ooh, you are so _lucky_! I heard he and his band are really starting to kick off. I've totally heard them practice and, I've gotta say, I. Am. His. Number. One. Fan."

They looked at me as if I was supposed to say something in return, but I was at a loss for words. I bit my lip, feeling rather uncomfortable. She gasped, putting her hands on my shoulders and shaking me frantically. "Sora, don't you think he's cute? He's not dating anyone, right?"

I tried to focus on her, but her shoulder shaking was throwing me off, making my world slightly dizzy, spinning. I tried to let my words out, "Um, yeah, I guess? And, no, not that I know of."

She squealed, turning to her friend and began jumping up and down. If I had not just had a tennis match with her, I would've lost some respect for this girl, but knowing that I was probably going to be on her team the whole year, I tried to put on a front. I smiled nervously, trying to appear excited. Her friend muttered to the girl, as if I wasn't in front of them, "Just don't tell Jun. You know she has a crush on Yamato, too. She's trying to go to the dance with him!" The girl rolled her eyes in response and said, "As if. He'll probably just take _her_ –" I'm sure she had meant me, but I didn't say a word "—instead."

The friend turned to me, finally acknowledging my presence. "Don't you hang out with that tall, brown-haired boy, too? The one with the goggles? He's kind of cute, too –"

"He's gay," I blurted out, apparently without a moment's hesitation. _Wow_, _where did that come from?, _I thought.

"Oh." She frowned, turning to my opponent disappointed. "It's always the cute ones!" Finally, the girls took their leave, having apparently received all the answers of what they were trying to investigate. Well, that was a terribly weird and awkward conversation. I felt bad for lying about Tai, but he could do _so _much better than these girls. _If only he_ … I shook my head from completing the thought. I finished picking up my belongings, and headed toward Tai's locker, where we had planned to meet. I was finally going to tell him about my decision about leaving soccer.

I walked down the hallways of my new school, examining the surroundings. It just looked and felt so much bigger than elementary school. I passed by pillars and columns holding up the buildings, many of them adorned with colorful, bright fliers. The one that stood out to me most were the ones advertising the first school dance of the year – Fall Homecoming. I averted my eyes from those particular fliers, though, because I feared that the only guy I would consider going to a dance with, might want to go with someone else.

I arrived at Tai's locker, observing him leaning against the side of the lockers, while having a conversation with Matt. He noticed me and waved, smiling. "Tai, Matt!" I exclaimed. Matt nodded his head at me, arms crossed.

Suddenly, Tai frowned. He glanced up and down my body, making me feel uneasy. Already, I sensed that the conversation was not going to have a good start. "So, um," I began.

"What's with the costume?" Tai asked.

My smile faded away. "'_Costume?'_" I repeated. "It's my tennis uniform."

"Oh, I'm sorry, " he said. He sounded sincere, but I was annoyed. "Wait, tennis… uniform?"

"Yes," I stated, matter-of-factly. I crossed my arms, embarrassed that I was wearing this "costume." "I'm… trying out for the school tennis team here." I waited, locking my eyes onto his. He seemed surprised, and then – upset.

"What? _Why? _That's such a girly sport!" He remarked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

Tai stammered out, "Nothing! I just don't see you as the tennis _type." _

"Are you saying I can't do 'girly' sports because I'm _not _a girl?" I accused. I noticed Matt had shifted his posture, and began inching toward me, as if trying to get in between the two of us. I think he sensed an argument coming on, which I didn't blame him for. I supposed this was what a typical argument looked like between Tai and me; though, thankfully, it did not happen often. At this moment, however, I just couldn't stop to listen to his words without being quick to assume.

"No, of course not. I just think you should reconsider going back to soccer –"

"Why? Because I'm not _girly _enough to go to tennis? So I should go back to a more _masculine _sport?"

"I didn't say that," he protested. "Soccer was _our_ thing –" Tai gently closed his locker and attempted to take a step toward me, but Matt set his hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Quit it, Tai," he growled. Tai smacked his hand away, remarking, "Dude, what's _your _problem?"

"Leave her alone," Matt challenged, now taking a complete step in front of me.

"This is between _Sora _and me," he snarled at Matt. He looked beyond Matt's shoulder to gaze at me. "Sora, I – oof!"

Suddenly, Matt had pushed Tai's chest, causing him to almost lose his balance and trip over his own feet. He caught his footing, and, naturally, reacted in anger, charging at Matt. He grabbed him, pulling him by the shoulders.

"Stop!" I shrieked. Immediately, my cries caught Tai's attention, and he let go of his hold on Matt. He looked at me in desperation, his eyes locking onto mine, as if to apologize and ask for permission to fight back. I returned his look, immediately regretting letting my temper get the best of me. "Tai, I –" I started, but gasped as I saw, in a split second, Matt landing his fist against Tai's cheek, nearly making him body slam into the lockers from the surprise and impact. I ran to Tai's side, helping him get his balance back.

"Tai! Tai, are you okay? Matt!" I scolded.

"You need to let her be, Tai. You're making her upset," Matt said coldly. "She can do whatever she wants." He turned to me, giving me a head nod once again. "Sora," he stated simply, and he turned around and left without another word.

I returned my gaze toward Tai, who was rubbing his cheek. "Okay, I deserved that," he confessed.

I smiled, shaking my head. "No. No, you didn't. I'm sorry that happened." I gently brought my hand up to his. He flinched, but immediately softened up, grinning. "Just some rough play," he stated. We brought our hands down to our sides.

I giggled. "Sometimes I think Matt is the only one who really understands me. You know how we have practically complementary personalities. On his behalf, I apologize."

He frowned, remaining silent. Then, he brought his hand up to run his fingers through his brunette locks. As we grew older, it seemed as though his giant hair was trying more and more persistently to defeat the laws of gravity. Finally, he said, "It's okay. If I were him, I would've socked me, too... I didn't mean to make you upset about the whole tennis thing, you know."

"I know," I confessed. "I'm trying to work on this whole stop-getting-mad-at-Tai thing."

"That's _impossible_!" He exclaimed, sending us both into good ole, stomach-hurting laughter. He reached toward his cheek again, wincing, saying, "Ouch, I better not laugh too much."

"You poor thing," I said. "Let's walk home?"

He nodded, and we began to set foot toward home. We both hadn't spoken a word for a few moments, though it felt like an eternity, until finally he said, "I was just worried you wouldn't be my partner anymore."

"What do you mean?" I asked. He avoided eye contact with me, staring at the rubble on the ground as we walked past the school gates. He kicked a single pebble – one that was quite larger than average - up as if it were a soccer ball, and tapped it with his knee as it flew up into the air. The pebble flew over to my side, to which I brought up my ankle and kicked it back toward him. We continued doing this as we walked, something that would be challenging for most, but for us, it was natural.

"I mean," he said, focusing on the pebble, "You're going to be busy with tennis. I'm going to be playing soccer. I'll be spending less time with you. I just don't want to lose you…" He added, "You know, as a partner."

He had kicked the pebble a bit too hard at that point, sending it flying a few feet in front of us. I raced toward it. My soccer instincts took complete control over me and, without thinking, I used my head to aim it back at Tai. Big mistake. As it bounced off of my head, I winced from the pain. Not the greatest idea to hit your head willingly against a rock – no matter how small it was. "Ooowwww! Hahahaha!" I rubbed my head from the pain, but started to giggle at how silly my mistake was. Tai had caught the pebble with his hand and let it fall to the ground. He jogged to my side, patting my head at first, and then slowly started to run his fingers in my hair at the spot I had hurt. I felt myself blushing.

"Look at us, "he said. "Two injured dorks. Sora versus pebble."

"Tai versus Matt," I added. His smile drifted away, as if he had just recalled the whole ordeal that he had been trying to forget about, bringing his hand down. Tai and Matt had always considered each other best friends, but when they clashed, they were just downright _mean _to each other. We continued strolling home, and we were nearly at my apartment. Sometimes, I did not understand the relationship between the two. It was almost equivalent to a love-hate relationship. Tai was the laidback, carefree spirit who everyone and anyone could easily get along with, while Matt was the empathetic, temperate lone wolf who observed things from afar. Somewhere between the two personalities, there was a balance, but neither of them knew how to collaborate with the other without a fight getting involved. Being in the middle of these two dynamics was, well, complicated.

I decided to change the subject. "So, you excited for those dances this year?" I said casually. I was interested in hearing what he had to say… Particularly, if he had anyone in mind to take already.

He hesitated. "Mmm, I'm not sure… It's a lot of pressure for us guys to ask a girl out." He let out a soft chuckle. "I'm trying to not think about it."

_I guess I wasn't on his mind when it came to these dances_, I thought to myself. We arrived at my apartment complex, and began walking up the stairs since the elevator had been out of service for years now. It seemed to always be a tradition for Tai to always walk me up to my doorstep even though he would end up having to go all the way back down. It was a nice gesture that I had always appreciated.

"By the way, Tai," I said in almost a low whisper. "I… I'll always be your partner."

"I don't believe you," he stated simply, skeptical. I looked up at him to ponder. "Wait, what?" I stammered.

He held up his pinky finger about an inch away from my eyes and grinned. "Promise me!"

I laughed, pushing his hand away. "What are you, ten years old?" I said. We stood at the foot of my door. Eagerly, he brought his pinky finger toward me again. I tilted my head to the side, raising an eyebrow, and then locked my pinky finger onto his.

"Okay, you're trapped being my partner forever," he said. "You promised."

I laughed, nodding my head in agreement. "Okay, forever with you can't be _that_ terrible. Yeah, yeah, I promise."

And although I meant it, I had to wonder if my promise would go wasted waiting around for him.

* * *

_Months Later_

* * *

_"... A kiss to remind you that someone loves you. Tai... Did you think...?" _

I reflected back on that day often afterward. I kept wondering what would have happened if I had, had the courage to bring it up to him again after it had happened. What if we did actually talk about it? Would I have been able to tell him that I liked him? I believed what worried me most was the possibility of hearing that he didn't feel the same way. After all, he seemed quick to brush away the idea of me kissing him. I guess I just wasn't girlfriend material to him. He had never brought the incident back up again, and I wasn't sure if it was a good idea for the sake of our friendship if we discussed it. I wanted to give Tai that gift as a reminder of the love he had all around him, including from myself. Ironically, beholding the Crest of Love was not an easy duty. Sometimes I still didn't understand why I was chosen to have this crest. I certainly did not feel comfortable talking about love with many. I supposed I needed time to mature more. I knew Matt had felt the same way about his own Crest of Friendship; we both seemed to share the same struggles.

All I knew was that I was beginning to feel hopeless waiting to see if he felt the same way about me. It wasn't his fault; if he didn't feel the same way, then I had to learn to accept that, even if it hurt. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. After all, I had treated him unreasonably in the past few years. He could do much, much better than silly, pathetic me. In the meantime, I had moved on. At least, I was certain. I was sure I wanted this to happen. Maybe something new would be a good change for me - to help me move forward. Tai and I had the greatest platonic relationship, but maybe it was never meant to be more than that.

I took off my oven mitts, and set them aside. I breathed in the aroma of freshly baked cookies, hoping they would make for a good present.

When I was ready, I left my house with the package of cookies in my hand, heading to Matt's concert.

* * *

_Present Day_

* * *

_Dancing in the moonlight,_

_Everybody's feeling warm and bright,_

_It's such a fine and natural sight,_

_Everybody's dancing in the moon -_

Unknowingly, I automatically slammed my hand over my cell phone to stop it from ringing. I glanced at the time – _11:11 P.M. _If there was one thing in the world that annoyed me most, it was definitely being woken up during a nice, restful sleep. Groggily, I rubbed my eyes to see who was calling me:

_Goggle Dork._

At least, that's what the caller I.D. said. Of course, it was Tai Kamiya. Was I dreaming? I shook my head – nope, definitely not dreaming. If he was calling me this late, knowing that I was sleeping, he must have had something important to say, or else he knew he had to face my wrath. I quickly held the phone to my ear, and as if on cue, he asked, "Hello? Sora?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's going on?" I asked.

"Can you come meet me right now?" he inquired with an urgent tone. I sat up from bed, reaching over for my lamp and switching the light on.

"Now? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, don't worry. I just want to talk to you. Can you?"

I chuckled, asking him jokingly, "And this can't wait until the morning?"

He returned a sheepish laugh. "Do you trust me?"

Pausing, I looked outside my window. It was not completely pitch black, but a rather tranquil midnight blue. You could see the faint glows of the stars surrounding the bright, full moon, captivating our sleepy city upon its silent slumber. It was a perfect night for an escape.

"I trust you one hundred and ten percent, partner. Where are we meeting?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry about the sudden perspective change and time jumps; I felt like I couldn't continue the story without first writing a chapter in Sora's point of view, explaining a little bit about her background, like why she ended up with Matt (grrr, lol). I'm fairly certain the rest of the story will be in Tai's perspective. However, if not, then it'll be obvious the chapter isn't Tai's PoV, like the beginning of this chapter. (Well, hopefully it was obvious!)

Once again, readers, thank you for your continued support, be it reviewing, following, fav'ing, or even just reading up until this point!

The next chapter will finally conclude this segment of the story. No more cliffhangers from here on out - maybe. ;p Not sure when it'll be up but it'll be at least two weeks from today, 05/16/15. Sorry :(


	6. The Where, Part III

_This was where I fell for her all over again. _

**The Where.**

**\- **Part III –

With a forcible push from my desk, I spin myself around in my computer chair, getting lost into the now endlessly dizzying world around me. My eyes cannot lock onto a single object, and so I shut my eyes for a moment while I inhale. I feel my hair cling onto my face as I reach over to my desk to spin myself faster for a few more seconds. The funny thing about falling in love is that you can't control how fast you fall in it. Sometimes, it happens in seconds. Other times (and in my case), it is a gradually grueling process, one that is just slow enough where you start to realize you're falling, inevitably deeper and deeper – and it's not that you're not quick enough to keep yourself from falling; it's the fact that once you're in that slow descent toward the deep, dark abyss that is love, it's almost impossible to get back up until you slam down. Funny? No, I guess it's not funny, after all. More like inconvenient.

"Earth to Tai. Hello?!"

I open my eyes and see multiple images of hands grabbing a hold of the back of my computer desk. The chair now stops its movements, but my head is still spinning. The force that grabbed my chair wheels me back around to place me in front of him, and about ten Izzy Izumi's stare at me with concern in his (their?) eyes.

"Okay, which one of you is the real Izzy Izumi?" I ask, joking. I begin to rub my eyes in hopes of somehow ceasing the dizziness, which was beginning to hurt my head.

He folds his arms and retorts, "That's not going to help the spinning. There's fluid in your ears that –"

"Yeah, yeah, " I interrupt, saving myself from another history lecture (though, in my head, I had to correct myself, in good ole Izzy fashion – I guess it's more of an anatomy or science lecture, but whatever). Slowly, the ten Izzy Izumi's begin to shift back into one, and finally I am able to see a single standing Izzy in front of me, albeit unamused. Izzy had come over to my place to get some homework done with me (alright, alright, he was actually here to help me with some of mine), but I needed something to distract myself. Izzy plops himself onto my bed, grabbing a pink, ice blended drink on my desk and gulps down its contents eagerly, as if his thirst had to be quenched. I shudder. "Don't blame me if you get sick from drinking that." It was Mom's "famous" cupcake smoothie (_"It's like a cupcake, but you can drink it!"). _

"It's actually quite good," Izzy comments. "Okay, shall we get to chemistry? Or should we start with math?"

"Neither," I groan. Izzy gives me an inquisitive look, all while sipping his cupcake-in-liquid-form through its straw.

"Okay, so do you want to talk about what happened last night?"

I pause, looking over at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"Between you and Sora. And, before you go about trying to convince me that I don't know what I'm talking about, I ask you: do you really think that I don't know you well enough to not know something happened recently? First of all, it's two in the afternoon, and you thought it was still morning because you just woke up half an hour ago. Second of all, I asked you if we should invite Sora to do homework together because we're in the same class and you said _no _almost immediately. Although I may be a socially inept person, the signs are clearly there, and, in conclusion, I suppose you can say the jig is up and you can cut the crap now."

I sigh. "Since when were you such a detective? So, do you want to be my therapist or my tutor?"

Although Izzy was the last person on Earth who you'd expect would _want_ to talk about love and all that other lame stuff, I knew he was asking for my sake, because I really just needed someone to listen to me right now. I give him a small nod, answering my own question. "Okay, so, last night…"

I begin to recall my story –

Memories of last night.

* * *

The air was chilly.

Alone, I walked through the empty park, heading toward the playground. There was something calming about the atmosphere, and I took in the silence – aside from the crunches of my footsteps – as a welcoming. I approached the playground, grabbing a long stick on the ground, as I took a seat on one of the swings. It was free of kids running around screaming, because who in their right mind would be at a playground on a winter's night during this ungodly hour? Oh, right. Me.

And, eventually, her.

Nonchalantly, I dug the twig into the ground, sifting through the snow as if it were a canvas as I waited for her. I used my "paintbrush" to draw a rather terribly uneven oval, adding spikes at the top to represent my hair. Even though I didn't have my goggles at the moment, I drew them onto my forehead, remembering the times that were much more simple. Like, I think I'd rather have been fighting evil Digimon than talk about love and all that other _girly _stuff with Sora - assuming that we would be talking about that stuff tonight. I didn't know what to expect.

I began to write her name in the snow, thinking of the possible scenarios of what would come about after our conversation tonight. Sure, it was sudden. I wanted to know why she wasn't going to give me the Valentine's Day present, and more. Like, why him, over me? Matt had practically given me permission to have this talk with her, perhaps because he knew of how I was feeling about her. It was a weird move on his part, but the more I thought about it, the more I believed he really did fit the Crest of Friendship, because no other person in their right mind would do what he did.

"Tai!" I heard a shout from behind me. Eyes widening, I realized I had _just freaking wrote her name on the ground next to my face, _so, naturally, I threw myself off the swing and slammed into the ground, landing hard on my stomach to cover up my work. "TAI!" She shouted louder, footsteps picking up pace.

She knelt by my side. "You okay? What are you _doing?" _

"Oh, you know, making a snow angel."

"On your stomach?"

For a moment, silence. Then, laughter. Even I couldn't take myself seriously at that point. Still laying flat on the ground, I looked up at her and grinned. "Oops, I guess I forgot that most people usually do this on their back." I flipped myself around, spread my arms and legs, and began to swivel them, making little snow wings for myself. She smiled, then laid down next to me, but on her stomach. She began to move her arms and legs, and I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous she looked, making a snow angel on her belly.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, making a Tai-style snow angel. I just need the big, spiky hair to complete it."

"Ha, ha," I mumbled, grabbing a fist full of snow and throwing it on her back. She shot up immediately, shrieking in her own girly charm, and brushed the snow off of her back. "I deserved that," she joked. She bent her knees a bit, and extended her hand to me. I eagerly took her hand as she helped me hoist up. We walked over to the swings, where we looked up at the bright, elegant full moon above us in silence.

I used my legs to build momentum and swung – slowly at first. She began to do the same, and I broke the silence, "I miss this."

"So do I," she said almost faintly.

"You know, the carefree days. They're so underrated. With growing up, everybody just thinks about the future, and what comes after tomorrow. I've barely got next week planned. Hell, I didn't even plan for tonight. When people think about the past, they think of what went wrong. I just miss _this. _Good ole swinging in a playground with my best friend. I wouldn't want to be with any other person." I stopped because I realized I was now just thinking aloud, and I wasn't sure if I was coming on too strongly. Don't get me wrong, I was not intending on confessing my feelings to her tonight. I couldn't do that to Matt. Though, a big part of me just fears what would happen if I did tell her.

She straightened her legs all the way out, swinging faster and higher than me. I couldn't help but watch her, seeing the moon shine down on her and giving her this gentle, pretty light within the darkness surrounding us on this cold night.

"I have to disagree, to an extent," she said.

"What do you think?"

"I mean, sure, the carefree days in the past are delightful memories, but that's just it. That's all they are. Just memories. When you think about your regrets, you learn from them. You learn from your mistakes. That's why people dwell on the negative so much and so often, but sometimes it's necessary."

I began to slow down, taking her words into consideration. "True. I just think, for myself at least, I'm working on fixing my mistakes."

She reached the highest point she could possibly have made, and leaped forward, springing herself away from the swing. I watched her land on her two feet, knees bent, hands sinking into the snow. I had slowed down enough to stop and walk over to her. This time, I extended my hand to reach out to hers.

* * *

"Tai."

I look up. Izzy had finished his drink. "What?"

"You called her in the middle of the night, and she doesn't even ask why? Are you two so close that she doesn't even have to question your rather strange motives or requests?"

"I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it!"

* * *

We had moved on to the seesaw on the playground when she had asked me about the purpose of our little midnight rendezvous. Admittedly, I did not know where to start. I called her on a whim, and while I knew she would agree to meeting up with me, I did not know what would come after that. That was my problem; I now realized that I avoided thinking about the future because I couldn't escape the past. Today would be different.

The seesaw creaked as we moved up and down, surprisingly holding us better than we had expected otherwise even though we were well above the appropriate age level for a playground asset like this.

I found a place to begin, and just went with it, at this point almost not caring what would come after since I had nothing to lose:

"I talked to Matt the other day," I stated simply. She tilted her head in a puzzling manner.

"Don't you talk to him every day?"

I paused. Okay, I should have been more specific. I was always comfortable speaking to Sora about anything and everything, but I was almost afraid this was going to make for an awkward situation, and so I was all jumbled up.

"Well, he wanted to talk to me. He told me not to tell you about our meeting."

Sora pulled her weight down, allowing her feet to sink into the snow. She looked serious now, curious and concerned at the same time.

I looked down at her, and noticed that her burning amber eyes were particularly prettier at night when the moonlight reflected back upon them. They were mesmerizing, but I continued, "Don't worry, nothing happened between us. I mean, he tried to make a move on me, but I knew better. Hey, it's getting cold up here – let me down!"

She tried to kick some snow up at me, but I was too high above on the seesaw to be reached. She laughed, pushing her feet from the ground and continuing our teeter-tottering on the seesaw.

"He… He said he was at your house when you were sick the other week. He found something in the trash can and brought it to me, saying it was mine."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Why would he…" It clicked, and her eyes widened. "Oh," she said simply.

"Yeah," I mumbled quietly. "I was wondering why…. why you never gave them to me."

I looked away from her, embarrassed. Okay. There it was. My jumbled words finally made sense to both her and me, and now was the wait. The wait for a response, or maybe, I guess, lack thereof. I glanced back at her, holding my gaze upon her, wondering what she was thinking. Consequences could easily follow after tonight. At this point, she was biting her lip gently, and I took this as sign of her trying to process and think of what to say.

Finally, she said, "Fear."

No other words. No other explanations. Just "fear."

"Mmm…" I muttered, as if I understood. But I didn't. "Mmmmwhaaaat?"

The wind picked up, and at this moment, snowflakes began to dance past us, carried along with the breeze. I shivered as I awaited her explanation, feeling moist little snowflake drops dissolve onto my cheeks.

"Do you remember when I was taken by Datamon?" she asked. There were no hints of emotions behind her words – no sadness, no bitterness. Just words, as tranquil as can be.

"Of course I do," I replied.

"That was the most scared I'd been. I thought, for sure, that I'd be a goner. I wouldn't be able to see our friends again. I wouldn't be able to see Biyomon again." She looked up at me. "I wouldn't be able to see you again." I gulped, recalling the memories, because that had been one of the scariest moments of my life, too.

"But then there you were. You came to me. You saved me, and the fear went away. Nothing ever quite measures up to that moment, and the other horrendous moments we've had on our Digimon adventure. So when I went to the store, I had bought you something for Valentine's Day, almost like a robot. It didn't hit me until I came home that I'd done it. I just did it. It was an automatic process, like I was on auto-pilot. Then, it hit me: fear. Not in the same sense, of course, but something along the lines of being scared just hit me."

"Why?" I stopped, and this time she sat on the other end of the seesaw, high above the ground. I dug my shoes into the snow to stop myself from the swinging. I wanted to take in every word, because although I was not quite understanding, I wanted to hear everything she had to say to me, because I had a feeling that, after tonight, things may not be the same between us. I hoped that would not be the case, though. I gazed up at her, eager for more, yet, at the same time, terrified to hear the rest.

"I was scared because, if I had given it to you, what would that mean between us? What would that mean between Matt and me? Would he be angry with me? Why did I buy it for you, when I have a boyfriend? I was at the store for _his _present. Yet, you were on my mind, almost subconsciously. Like, a part of me knew not to forget about you. That, I couldn't even answer."

"You said in the note that you wanted to talk with me."

"I know. And, the truth is, I don't quite know where I was going with that. I guess I just wrote that and decided to go on a whim when we'd actually talk. Yet, here we are, and I still don't know where to begin with that."

I wasn't disappointed because she had been in the same dilemma I had been. We both wanted to talk to each other, but didn't know how to come about it. Even though I may never know what she meant by her note, all I cared about was being with her - right here, right now. Maybe she really did have feelings for me before ending up with Matt? Was that what she may have wanted to talk about? Who knows. At this point, I didn't think it mattered, because even if she did, it's not like the feelings were there anymore. I would never be able to date her, let alone kiss her or dance with her. I thought about the upcoming school dances.

Regrets.

She had said, earlier, that regrets were basically important to think about because you learn from your mistakes. For all I know, this whole night will be one huge regret to think about tomorrow. Except, it didn't feel like one. I've been having fun, good ole, precious fun, with her this whole night, doing something as simple as playing on the playground. If this was what regret was like, then I'd make more regrets with her every day. I had nothing to lose.

"Sora," I said.

"Tai," she replied, jokingly deadpan at first. Then she smiled, snowflakes dancing past her.

"May I have this dance?" I asked.

Confusion. "What?"

I stepped off from the seesaw, setting my hands on its surface so that Sora could gently reach the ground again. She got up, taking a few steps toward me, then stopped. I reached out for her hand, which she clasped onto mine, but remained speechless.

"Let's face it: I'm a loser, the night is young, we are two fools on a playground at almost two in the morning, and all I can think about is that I want to dance with you, because I probably won't be going to the school dances later this year with anyone. Plus, isn't '_Dancing in the Moonlight' _your ringtone? Wouldn't it be totally cool to actually say, when your phone rings, 'Hey, I've danced in the moonlight' before!"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Actually, it wouldn't be cool, and this is the most random thing ever - but then again, this whole night has been - but, Tai, I would love to have this dance with you."

This is the part that would have been perfect to play out as a Hollywood movie: two young (and good looking) kids, slow dancing then waltzing across the empty playground in the snow, in sync with dancing snowflakes also soaring across the sky with us, joining us on our dance. Even in cold silence, there was something graceful about this scene, something infinite and eternal and you just can't stop smiling. There was not a care or a regret or a worry for anything in the world. Just two people, dancing, as simple as that.

Only, it didn't really turn out like that.

First of all, I accidentally stepped on her foot. Twice. Okay, several times. She laughed at my clumsiness, putting her arms around my neck and telling me that I sucked at dancing. I grinned, pulling her closer to my body, my hands gently caressing her waist. The silence was actually kind of weird, so she began to hum the song of her ringtone –

_Dancing in the moonlight,_

_Everybody's feeling warm and bright, _

_It's such a fine and natural sight, _

_Everybody's dancing in the moonlight_

And it was freaking _cold, _but our bodies were so close, that it was barely a distraction after we (okay, I) figured out this whole dancing thing, and we were in sync with each other for the remainder of our little dance. And, okay, like I said, it would have been a perfect scenario for a movie, but this was much, much better. Clumsiness and all. Coldness and all. Humming and all.

I could practically feel her smile, since her lips were so close to mine. And I wanted so, so badly to kiss her. I think she could tell, or maybe it made her think of what happened between us in the the past, but she asked suddenly, "Were you going to kiss me? Back when –"

"Absolutely, " I said. She looked up at me with a blank expression. There, I said it.

And it felt _so _good to finally tell her that. She continued humming, resting her head on my chest, and I gently pressed my face to her hair, smelling sakura blossoms. I closed my eyes, saving this moment in my internal hard drive, because what Matt has everyday with her, I may never have again after tonight.

"Some things are easier with Matt," she said quietly.

I said nothing, but nodded my head against hers. I listened.

"Like, telling him that I liked him. Matt and I were friends, but not like me and you. It was easier because even if he didn't feel the same way, the impact wouldn't have been as damaging as…." She trailed off. I didn't press on, but I felt like I knew what she was saying. At least, I think I did. "I think I'm just trying to figure out the actions of my past, and deciding whether or not they were mistakes."

Again, I nodded, almost entirely understanding what she was talking about, yet not having a clue at the same time. How that was possible, don't ask. I couldn't even answer that. Could she mean that…?

"Anyway," she said. "The kind of fun I have with you is different from the kind of fun I have with him. He's practically my twin in terms of personality, but, even though you and I argue often because of our opposite personalities –"

"—all of which is almost _never _my fault," I interrupted, grinning.

She rolled her eyes. "Even though we argue often, you make me laugh the most out of everyone. I think that's saying something. And I'm trying to figure out what that something is, and what it's supposed to mean."

I felt like telling her. The devil on my shoulder was urging me, pleading me, to tell her. _Sora, I like you. Be with me. Don't be with him. There is no better combination than us._

But the angel on my shoulder calmly said no. The angel, whose voice I wanted so badly to ignore, was my voice of reason. Matt was a good guy, despite our differences. Although we clashed, I could never, _ever _be the one to purposely do something as terrible as break apart his relationship on purpose, knowingly hurting him.

So, kicking myself mentally for saying this, I said to her, "Let's go home."

And, as per usual, I walked her home, going up all of her stairs because no one ever bothered to fix the damned elevator, walked myself all the way back down, returned home in the lonely night, threw myself on my bed, and let myself wonder whether or not this would all be a regret in the morning – a mistake to fix tomorrow.

I slept.

* * *

"I'm going to barf."

"Izzy, the story wasn't _that _cheesy. I think it was kind of cute. She probably thinks I'm charming as hell."

"Tai, I'm going to _barf."_

"You jerk, you wanted to hear what happened last night!"

"I'M GOING TO BARF."

Izzy runs past me, struggling to open the door for a few seconds, then swings it wide open. It hits the wall with a bang, and I roll my eyes at how much he was exaggerating. Granted, that shit was cheesy enough to be a romantic comedy work of fiction. I just hope that this work of fiction would have a happy ending.

I get up from my chair, and lay on my bed, stomach down, and my head sideways on my pillow. I smiled, thinking of my _Tai-style snow angels _and how much I would miss being intimate with Sora like that again, in the innocent sense.

Izzy returns, clutching his stomach with one hand, and wiping his mouth with toilet paper with the other. _Oh, wow, I guess he did actually throw up._ He kneels onto the ground, and curls into a ball, fetal position.

"What is _in _your mom's cupcake smoothie? It sure did not taste as good going back up than it did going down my throat."

Ooh. That explains the vomit. I was so into my story that I totally forgotten he consumed that atrocious creation. I think about it. "Hmm. Ice, of course. Leftover cupcakes from Kari's birthday party. I think she may have put some butter and yogurt in, and a layer of extra strawberry frosting, too – you know, just for that extra kick."

Izzy clutched his mouth, making me laughing uncontrollably. He breathed out from his nose.

"So, what does this mean for you and Sora?"

"I don't know, but I do know one thing."

"And what's that?"

"That if I'm anywhere, I'm in a place with her that I know I'm comfortable with. Whether or not she stays with Matt forever is okay with me. What I do have with her is special. I want to be with her, but in the right way. I'm not taking her from Matt. If I ever get to be with her, it's just not now…. And, I guess I'm okay with that."

"Excuse me while I barf again."

"From the cupcake smoothie?"

"From the cheesiness."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delayed update! Combinations of being busy with life and writer's block is no good! I hope you guys liked this chapter. Thank you for those who have continued to read, review, follow'd, or fav'd - your support is appreciated. There are a few reviews with questions I need to reply to, and I will eventually. Just been very busy.

I said in the beginning I was hoping this would be a short story, like only 5 chapters most, but look where we are now. We have _The Why _and _The How _left, but who knows if they'll be split into parts. I don't even know if there will be an epilogue. I guess like Tai and Sora, I'm going a bit on a whim! I guess we'll find out later, but don't be surprised if the story ends within two chapters. We'll see where this goes.

Let me know what you think. Thank you for reading.

_Update: (several hours after posting this chapter...) _I lied - this story will have an epilogue. You know how I know that? Because I just wrote it. ;) All I need are the gaps, but, anyhow: The Why, The How, and The Epilogue will be concluding this little story. Next: The Why.


	7. The Why, Part I

_I couldn't stop thinking about him after that night at the playground._

_I couldn't stop trying to figure out why._

**The Why.**

**\- **Part I –

"So, Sora, what did you think?"

I was slumped against the cushions of the couch, knees brought up to my chest. I was at Matt's band rehearsal, which was held exactly where you'd think a bunch of teenagers would be able to practice playing obnoxiously loud rock music: the dingy garage of one of the band members. I mean, it was cool and all, but when you're in that small of an enclosed, confined area, the volume amplifies, like, ten times more. Though, I guess it wasn't really the noise that bothered me. I could hear everything going on in the background outside of my mind, but I wasn't listening. I was too preoccupied, too lost in my own thoughts to really be attentive to what was going on around me.

A few weeks ago, my best friend called me out of nowhere to meet up with him in the middle of the night.

A few weeks later, I found myself questioning everything.

Okay, not _everything, _but just about what you'd expect to be important for the average teenage girl: boy problems. I sighed to myself, looking up at the dark ceiling which was only slightly lit up by old Christmas lights and a single flickering light bulb, the kind you'd see in basements in a horror movie. Matt's band was really starting to kick off, but until they hit it big, they'd have to be stuck practicing in this little garage for the time being. I mean, I couldn't blame them. It wasn't like either of the band members owned a mansion.

"Sora?"

My body jolted as I felt a hand gently placed my shoulder from behind me. I turned around, startled when I suddenly found my lips meeting his. Awkwardly, my eyes refused to shut as he kissed me for a few more lingering seconds. He pulled away, and jumped over the couch to sit beside me, placing his arm around my shoulders. "So?" Matt asked.

Oh, crap. I should have been paying attention. I echoed, "Soooo?" I smiled, feigning interest.

He looked at me eagerly, immediately making me feel guilty. "What did you think?"

At first, all I could do was exchange a blank look in return, trying to quickly gather my thoughts. What the heck was he asking me? I shifted my eyes in front of me, observing his band members gulping down cups of water. Oh, right. "Oh, it was good," I said sheepishly. He pecked me on the lips again, to which I couldn't close my eyes yet again due to my newfound inability to react fast enough, and he smiled.

"You weren't paying attention, were you?" He asked.

"I was," I lied. He frowned.

"Okay, what song were we just playing?"

"'Bad Blood_,'" _I said too confidently, which hopefully made it appear as though I were joking in case I was wrong.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked bluntly, clearly seeing past my smile. "If something's wrong, we can just leave."

Before I could answer, a series of knocks drilled against the garage from the outside, startling all of us. The band members groaned, including Matt. He shouted over his shoulder, "Go home, Jun!"

Jun was Davis Motomiya's older sister, except she looked almost nothing like Davis and appeared more like she could be Tai's twin sister, with her crazy, mountain-high auburn hair. I always thought she was hilarious, much to the amusement of Matt. She was "like totally obsessed" with "_Yamato_ and his awesome band." We were all cool with each other, but sometimes her fan-girl antics were borderline crazy. Like, one time, she offered to design a custom t-shirt for the band to help with publicity, which the band happily obliged. The only problem was that they didn't know she would rename the band, _Jun &amp; Her Teenage Wolves, _and put a picture of herself in the dead center of the front, with the faces of the band members on the back. I still have that t-shirt somewhere in my closet.

"I THOUGHT I WOULD STOP BY AND SAY YOU ARE ALL SO GREAT," she yelled from outside.

Matt, who was obviously peeved, could only just smile at me almost apologetically. "That's great, Jun, but you can go home now!"

"'BAD GRAPES, I CAN GROW OLD NOW?'"

"_You can go home now!" _Matt had a low voice, almost as soft as a mumble or whisper, so whenever he tried to yell, it would barely be just above his normal speaking voice. For someone who was quite the lone wolf, he had the voice of a mouse. An unenthusiastic, dead serious mouse.

"OHHHH, OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO SAY HI. I'LL GO NOW. BYEEE!" She stomped her feet loudly from outside, and we all groaned because we knew she would be waiting somewhere until she could _personally _say goodbye to everybody in person by pretending she was "just in the neighborhood again." This girl. Crazy, crazy girl.

I turned to Matt. "Okay, so out the back way to go home?"

He nodded.

* * *

He walked me home in silence. The nice thing about Matt is that he never pries. Unlike Mimi, he could do without gossip. He'll only let you talk about anything in the realm of your own comfort zone, so if you don't mention it, he won't ask. That's the bad thing about Matt, too. I wanted so badly to tell him what was wrong, but I just couldn't find the words to say it. I didn't want to just ramble on and on, '_Hey, I'm questioning our relationship because I think I still like Tai,' _out of the blue. I mean, it's not easy telling your boyfriend that you're basically a traitor.

We strolled through the very same park that Tai and I had been at that night. It was spring now, and although the air was warm, I couldn't help but feel cold inside. I had decided that before I told Matt anything, I would have to figure things out first. I have to know what I want. Matt was a good boyfriend, don't get me wrong. He's just about what any girl would want to ask for in a significant other.

Matt was a good boyfriend.

But Matt wasn't Tai.

By now, if Tai were by my side, he'd be bombarding me with questions – _What's wrong? Why aren't you telling me? What can I do to cheer you up? _Sometimes, I just didn't feel like talking. _Most _of the time, though, I do; I'm just stubborn. That's what made my relationship with Matt so conflicting at times. I just wanted a sign that he cared, or was curious, but he was stoic as ever. If Matt and I ever had a fight, he'd leave me alone. Literally. He'd leave me alone until I was ready to talk. Tai, on the other hand, would be the complete opposite. He'd do everything in his power to talk to me – to make things better, to make things right. It's not that Matt didn't care.

He just wasn't Tai, and the way the two handled things were completely different from one another.

Matt grasped my hand, and we continued to walk in silence. In moments, we would be passing by the playground. I scanned around the area. Strangers were out having fun, too busy living in their own thoughts to observe those around them. Kids leaning against the concrete pathways, drawing on the ground with chalk, only concerned with who had the coolest work of art. Couples flirting and laughing, kissing and believing no one else around them could see them, immersed in only their little fairy-tale love story. An old man, walking with his service dog, enjoying the spring sun as he remembered his childhood. As Matt and I strolled on holding hands, I could not help but feel out of place.

When we approached the playground, I stopped in my tracks, and Matt mirrored me. I had to find out something.

"Matt," I said. He looked down toward me, waiting. I continued, "What do you think about us playing at this playground?"

He chuckled. "I think we're a little too old for that." He paused as he realized I was asking seriously. "Well, I mean, I guess we could go on the swings if you want."

I waved my hand, brushing away the idea. "No, it's okay. I think it's time to grow up, anyway."

When we arrived at my apartment complex, I declined Matt's offer to walk me up the stairs, and so he didn't. I took the lonely climb all the way up, thinking that, if it had been Tai, he would've been the one challenging to race me up the stairs with him.

* * *

Later that day, Mimi had convinced me to go get a manicure with her. Well, actually, it was more like escort her to the nail salon, and watch her get pampered while I sat next to her, reading a magazine. I nonchalantly flipped through the pages, rolling my eyes at the glamorized, unrealistic expectations of what women "should" look like nowadays. The nail salon did not have any magazines that _weren't _about celebrities and their first world problems, advice about sex (which I wasn't intending on doing until I found the right person), and other tabloids that didn't really matter (a.k.a. even more celebrity gossip).

Mimi, happily enjoying herself, glanced over at me. "_Oooh, _read my horoscope, will you, Sora?"

"_Really, _Mimi?"

"Well, yes_, _don't you read yours every month?" she inquired. She was being serious, which made me cringe.

"No, I don't really –"

"OH, my _goodness_. The stars don't lie, Sora! _Honestly, _how could you believe in Digital Monsters, but not _horoscopes?"_

"I mean, it _could _be because I've actually seen, befriended, been kidnapped by, and met Digimon in real life before?"

"THE STARS, SORA. THE STARS AND THE PLANETS," she shrieked dramatically, with the clear lack of eloquence one would assume a pretty girl like her would have.

Mimi was a pro at convincing people to do things for her - just not in the conventional sense. Or, you know, logical. Exasperated, I flipped to the back of the magazine, looking for her sign. Though, curiosity seemed to have me in a chokehold and, despite _my _sense of logic still intact, I skimmed through what was printed under the _Pisces _sign – my own. I mean, might as well, right? I was kind of in the place where I _needed _advice, even if it was from one of those fake magazines I loathed so much. I read on:

**Pisces **

_The pathway to your career lies within hidden talents you will discover in the upcoming weeks. This will be a productive month if you put passion into your work. Your friendships with those around you will strengthen even if you don't notice right away due to outside distractions. Listen to your audience. Your confidence will be rattled as your love life experiences turmoil. Trust your instincts. They've never failed you before. _

Furrowing my eyebrows, I read over and over again the last two sentences, until I heard Mimi's nagging about my delay in sharing her horoscope. She began to laugh manically and boasted about her horoscope's prediction: "_You will find love in unexpected places" (_"Ooh, I hope I find a cute French boy over a romantic bridge, under the stars – _NO, _on a _boat _during a sunset! I've always wanted to go on a cruise. French boys are good kissers, you know!"), while I was too busy in my own thoughts to really give her all of my attention. Not that I really gave her one hundred percent every time we hung out; that's just too much Mimi.

"Mimi," I said seriously. She stopped talking, and the silence that came afterward was almost chilling because a quiet Mimi was a serious Mimi. I continued, "I'm having issues with Matt. Well, not really – it's more _me_, if anything –"

"Did you finally realize you picked the wrong boy?"

"What? No! Well, sort of."

The nail salon lady stood up and left to gather some more supplies, but she had just finished up with painting up Mimi's nails – all ten fingers adorned with hot pink coats with a yellow star smack dab in the middle. Mimi began to wave her hands quickly back and forth, almost like a seal, so it was hard to take her seriously when, next, she said, "Oh, honey. You and _Taichi _should've got together! We've all thought for years it would happen, and then you get with Matt _completely _out of the blue! Is it because he's hot? I'm all for looks, but I thought maybe you and Tai would end up together. Isn't Matt part French? What's it like kissing him?" I rolled her eyes as she trailed off topic.

"I guess I just got tired of waiting, tried to move on, and found out how much I had in common with Matt." I shrugged. Saying it out loud made me realize how awful of a girlfriend – let alone friend – I sounded. "I _do _like Matt," I added, to make myself sound less of a jerk. It was true.

"But don't you like Tai _more? _We're young, but think of it in a long-term kind of way. Can you see yourself lasting with Matt – who, by the way, is _so _cute, you must tell me how he does his hair – or Tai? Ooh, come to think of it, Tai has nice hair too, but it's kind of crazy and wild." She scrunched up her face with a hint of disgust, as if recalling what Tai actually looked like.

"I think I know what my answer to that question is, but I'm just afraid of hurting the other."

"Haven't you made Tai suffer enough already? You're saying _you _got tired of waiting, but it shouldn't be assumed or expected for him to say something first. Whenever I want something, I just ask for it! Hahahahah! Just tell him! I mean, I get it – it sucks to be the bad guy. But it sucks _more _bad if you keep living a lie just because you don't want someone to get hurt. That way you're just hurting yourself too! Sometimes, you just have to choose. Plain and simple. Someone will get hurt, but life continues; life is unforgiving. Time will heal the pain. You'd best tell Tai how you feel before _he _moves on."

And, for once, Mimi's words made sense (until she pointed out, "But Matt is _so _dreamy. Maybe you should stay together so you can make beautiful babies with him."). The nail salon employee returned, sitting herself down in front of me and grabbing my hands. I tried to pull them back, but her grip was surprisingly strong despite her tiny size. Mimi cackled, finally revealing to me that she had already paid for _my _manicure too. I groaned as I observed my nails beginning to get coated in a nice, glittery ruby color. A little too much for my tastes with the sparkling, but the shade was rather nice.

I sighed. It wasn't fair for Matt to be in the middle of all of my emotional war, acting like the perfect boyfriend to the girl who couldn't decide if she wanted to be with him or not. Matt had always been there for me in ways Tai couldn't – he allowed me to embrace my own inner darkness in order to collect my thoughts. Being with him helped me grow into becoming more independent with myself. We could relate – we were always on the same page. It was easy being with Matt.

But Matt would never dance with me in the snow. Matt would never make wrong-side down snow angels with me. Matt would never walk me up seven flights of stairs to my apartment door unless I asked or took up on his offer. It's not that I needed him to do these things – that would be asking him to be someone he wasn't.

Matt was a good guy, but he wasn't Tai.

With my hands occupied, I looked over at Mimi and asked, "Will you get my phone and text Matt to meet me at the mall in about an hour?"

"Why don't you break up with him by text? Here, I'll do it for you –"

"_Mimi!" _

"What? It's, like, _the _thing to do nowadays. Get with the times, Sora!"

"I respect Matt too much to do that. Just text him, 'Hey, can you meet with me at the mall at, hm, let's say, three?' Keep it casual."

Mimi murmured to herself as she started to tap into the keyboard, "'Hey, can you … meet with… me… at … the … mall at three…' Sent! …. Uh oh."

I squinted my eyes at her, hissing sharply, "What?" "Uh oh" was not a good sign.

"I accidentally sent that text to Taichi."

Groaning, I glanced over at the phone's screen, reading: "h3y can u meet wiff me at da mall at 3 lol."

It sure was casual, alright. "Mimi, why did you add l-o-l at the end?! It's okay, just resend that to Matt, but don't put that I'm laughing at loud when I'm not! He's going to think it's just a hang out! And just tell Tai I sent the wrong text. Oh, and write with proper grammar and spelling! Otherwise he's going to know it's not me texting." As soon as I finished my sentence, I heard a _beep, _indicating I had already received a response from Tai. I shut my eyes, mentally strangling Mimi with a lasso, and then read his text message.

_Goggle Dork: _

"im a little occupied today. rain check? i wanna try those new churros at the mall lol"

Another text message from him followed:

"you say u love thunder showers so what's a rain check between friends? LOL. Sry had to."

I smirked, then suddenly felt a sense of relief that I didn't have to cancel on Tai in case he was going to say yes. I think he probably figured I was with Mimi since I didn't text lyk d4t anyway. Mimi showed me a draft of the text message to Matt before clicking send. I blew against my nails in attempt to help them dry faster as I listened to Mimi beginning to ramble on about how happy she was that Tai and I were "finally going to get together, even though Matt was totally hot."

I had to wonder if Mimi was right – if Tai and I would "finally" become a couple. It wasn't fair for me to "wait around" for Tai. I was going to have to borrow some of Tai's courage later on when I tell him about everything. Of course, part of me still feared his response. After that night at the playground, and all of the little clues and hints I've felt before that, I was nearly certain he felt the same way. It was my instincts telling me that he did – that I was doing the right thing… That I had nothing to be afraid of. I trusted my instincts.

For the most part.

* * *

"So, um."

Words – the invisible weapon. I had to choose what I was about to say carefully as to not let down Matt so hard. He had done so much for me, and as much as I wanted to be the girlfriend he wanted me to be, I just couldn't do it. Not feeling like this. Not giving him all of me; it wouldn't be fair. I exhaled, feeling as though the words I were about to say would be tainted with venom. I didn't know how Matt would take any of this. There was a sinking feeling in my heart, and I seriously felt like the worst person in the world. Like, as if I were abandoning an innocent, little puppy in a forest. I was basically Scar from _The Lion King _pushing off Mufasa to his doom in front of Simba. You know you're an awful person when you're _that _guy.

Just ten past three, we met at one of the little, cozy cafes inside the mall. Life continued around us, with busybodies on their shopping antics while the two of us sat gawkily with hot lattes in hand at a small table. He sipped his own, closing his eyes as some of the steam flowed freely upward. I shifted awkwardly, staring down at my latte, complete with a white milk heart since the craze nowadays was latte art and Instagramming your drink as if it were a duty to broadcast where you were and what you were eating or drinking. I traced the rim of my cup with a finger, taking note in the back of my mind that manicures weren't half bad as I examined in awe at how much of a drastic change my nails had gone through today. Okay, _focus_. Before I spoke, I sipped my latte, wincing from the heat and scorching of my tongue. I set it down quickly, noticing that the former heart was now broken into two halves. Oh, my god, it was an omen.

"Sora," Matt murmured. "What's wrong?"

"Ummm." If words were weapons, mine was a small pocketknife. Maybe even a plastic one. "A couple of weeks ago, Tai and I met up to talk."

He sipped his latte again, unaffected by its burning touch, nodding.

"It was just all talk, nothing more happened. And I really hate myself for having to do this to you, because you've been such a great boyfriend, but… I …. just … haven't… been able to …" _Oh, my god, just say it! _"Stop… thinking about Tai… since then. I mean, I … I've always – " I gulped "- had thoughts about Tai like that before we started dating, but, at one point, I thought I moved on. Then, I found something in you, and I still do, but… I don't think we should be together if I feel this way about Tai..."

I trailed off, glancing over at Matt, to see his reaction, expecting unimaginable anger. He had folded his arms at this point, frowning. Breaking up with someone had to be one of the worst things to do, especially when you're doing it to someone who had done nothing wrong. I bit my lip, fiddling with my fingers underneath the table. I was severely uncomfortable, but I couldn't image how Matt was feeling right now. "Are you mad, Matt…?"

His mouth twitched.

"Matt? I'm seriously the worst."

Silence.

"I'll understand if you hate me."

Letting out a sigh, he brought his hand to his forehead and began rubbing it as if it were throbbing. This whole time, he hadn't looked me in the eye once. I wasn't a fan of eye contact, but at this moment, I was desperate for _something. _Use your words, Matt! Stab me back – sting me with poison – something, anything.

Finally, he mumbled, "I don't hate you, Sora."

"Well, you should," I retorted. "I'm _so _sorry, Matt."

"You don't have to apologize," he replied calmly, blowing strands of his hair out of his face. He finally looked at me with his piercing blue eyes, and I almost found it hard to stare back, but it was the least I could do.

"Why aren't you _angry?_" I demanded. I felt … I felt _guilty._ I _needed _to be hurt back.

For what felt like an eternity, another period of silence came afterward. I calmed myself. Okay, I needed to let him take his time. I shouldn't force him to talk if he didn't want to. For someone who was a whole lot like me, we sure handled break ups worlds differently apart. I drank some of my latte, which cooled down, but I tasted nothing but the bitterness of it. "I'm sorry," I said. "Take your time. I just feel so bad for having to do this, but I shouldn't be so naggy."

"Sora," he stated. "Trust me, I'm _pissed. _If Tai was here right now, I swear I would punch him in the fucking balls. I _like _you, Sora – and, for you to go to him, it's hard."

This time, I said nothing.

"But I get it," he continued. "I'm the one who told Tai to speak to you. I figured it was something you both needed to do. I knew I was in the way. I tried to deny it; I had hoped and hoped, to a selfish degree, that nothing would come after that talk, but now I'm mentally kicking myself in the head for even _suggesting _it to Tai. I keep asking myself, why Tai? Why him, over me? But I know why."

Again, nothing. I was at a lost for words, and I felt each one of Matt's stab me repeatedly in the heart, which I rightfully believed I deserved.

"That's just me being selfish. I understand, but just because I understand doesn't mean I don't have the right to be angry or hurt, so don't get me wrong – I _completely _get it. Sora, you know my parents are divorced. To this _day, _I'm still having a hard time with it, but you know what? It was necessary. They don't love each other anymore. I like you a lot, but I would _never _want to stay with you and have our relationship escalate to the level of my parents."

I felt tears well up in my eyes, and I immediately shifted my focus toward the ground, hoping that there was a chance that Matt didn't see. Almost immediately, he stood up and dragged his chair over to me, putting his arm around me. "I don't know why I'm crying," I confessed, embarrassed.

"You're crying on my behalf because I have no tear ducts, remember?" he joked.

I let out a soft chuckle, wiping my now water-stained cheeks and sniffling a little. I turned to him and said, "I know I've hurt you. I'm sorry, Matt. It would be unfair to stay with you if I couldn't give you one hundred percent of me."

"I know, Sora. You don't have to explain yourself; I already know why. Even though I hate Tai for this, I'm rooting for him, too. You're both my best friends, and if you had to go with anyone, he's the right one for you. I'll get over this eventually. Don't you worry about me."

Amongst the busyness of those around us, we stayed in silence at the tables for few more lingering minutes. He softly rubbed my shoulder as I sniffled away my tears, taking in what had just happened. I knew Matt was putting on a front, like he always did whenever he was upset, but he had urged me to trust his words. When I ceased crying, we began to talk about the history of our own relationship, from friends to almost lovers to friends (I hoped) again. I knew it would be awkward after today, even just for a little while, so we tried to have a last, normal conversation as boyfriend and girlfriend before we deemed each other exes. I admitted to him that he was my first kiss, and, in a very weird, Tai-like manner, Matt boasted about how that would be the one thing he'd have over Tai. I joked that Mimi was looking for a French boy to take kissing lessons from, and he rolled his eyes, smiling. It felt good to be able to talk to Matt in slight normalcy despite his efforts to be okay for me. Eventually, I got up to leave, and we hugged each other. I had asked if I could walk home with Matt, but he declined, saying he wanted to sit at the café for just awhile longer, alone.

"You're such a good friend, Matt," I mumbled over his shoulder. "Mister Crest-of-Friendship."

"I know, and I hate myself for it," he responded, and I could tell he was smiling.

"Please don't punch Tai in the balls."

"I'll try not to."

* * *

I exited the food court area, taking one last look behind me to glance over at Matt. He tilted his head up to give me a quick nod and a wave of his hand, as if saying, "It's okay. I need to be alone." I smiled a little, lifting my hand up to gesture goodbye. I adjusted my sweater, and headed toward the mall exit. I still felt awful, but we both understood that this was only temporary, and things would go back to being how they were before.

As I ambled on, I couldn't believe how tough of a person Matt was. I mentally thanked him for being the mature one in this situation, because if it had been any other person, I would've been given a verbal beating of how bad of a girlfriend I was. Matt had his own way of doing that, and I was glad it didn't escalate to a worse point and that he handled it in a way that let _me _down gently.

Finally, I decided that I would tell Tai how I felt. I didn't necessarily want to be boyfriend-girlfriend right away, given that I had just gotten out of my relationship with Matt (and as if I couldn't beat him with a stick anymore than I already did), but it was what he deserved to hear. Even if he didn't feel the same way, I would just have to face the consequences of what would follow afterward. Besides, if my friendship with Tai was really as strong as I believed it to be, things would be the same. Right?

_Right? _I reassured myself, _Sure. Of course. If things could stay the same between you and Matt, to some degree, then certainly it could be possible with you and Tai. _

Weary, I kept telling myself that. This had to be the right thing to do. No chickening out now. _Tai, how do you have so much courage? _I couldn't help but try to play out what would happen if he _did _reciprocate my feelings. Would it be weird? Would we last? I smirked to myself. Of course we would. It had always been Tai. Stupid, but endlessly amazing Tai.

I turned the corner, and stopped. Everything stopped. Abruptly and harshly.

Ten feet in front of me, Jun Motomiya had her arms wrapped around a boy, her lips pressed hard against his.

And I wish I could tell you it was Matt, finally giving in and letting Jun have her way with him, but it wasn't. No, it wasn't at all.

She ran one hand through his gravity-defying brunette hair, and used the other to tug at the goggles around his neck. At first, his arms were down by his side, but then he shifted them upward, placing his hands on her waist. I let out a quick gasp, and immediately retreated back the other way to avoid them breaking apart and seeing me. This was _not _happening.

Tai was kissing Jun, and the image was forged into my mind. I tried to stop thinking about it, and I found myself going from a brisk walk to a full-on sprint away from the scene of the crime, as if running would make everything go away faster.

It didn't.

* * *

**Author's Note: **As always, thank you for reading this far and cookies to those who provided their feedback and thoughts by leaving reviews.

Don't hate me! There's still more to come!

Next: The Why, Part II


	8. The Why, Part II

_[ Murphy's Law ] : _"_Anything that can go wrong, __will go wrong."_

_So why not? _

**The Why.**

**\- **Part II –

**so_sora: **Sorry, I promised Matt I would be there for his band practice. I'm getting ready in a few. I wish I could hang out with you; I'm pretty sure I'll lose my hearing afterwards lol :/  
**goggles x: **why do i always seem to have bad timing with u? haha.  
**so_sora: **Good things come to those who wait ;)  
**goggles x: **then wait i shall.

\- x -

**goggles x: **I AM SO BORED HANG OUT WITH ME  
**prodigious1: **I'm sort of glad you're not with Sora because I can't imagine how needy you'd be with a gf  
**goggles x: **shut up im just bored out of my mind!  
**prodigious1: **Oh, my god, your life is over.

\- x -

**JoeK: **I need to study. Can't talk right now. Reminds me - I need to sign off messenger.  
**goggles x:** … we're on spring break  
**JoeK: **Exactly

\- x -

**goggles the second: **TAI, charlie's churros just opened at the mall. come over so we can go!  
**goggles x: **down.  
**goggles the second: **bring kari :)  
**goggles x: **no.

* * *

The way I figured it, everything happens for a reason.

If Sora and I were meant to be _something_ in the far, foreign future of my life, I supposed I would have to wait and let Future Me handle what would come. It wasn't even the simple fact that she kind of, sort of hinted that she had feelings for me; the signs seemed clear to me but my confidence faltered weeks after we spoke at the playground. As she still chose to stay with Matt, life merely continued on. Though, the more I was around her, the more I realized that the development of these uncanny feelings of I-Kinda-Like-You-More-Than-A-Friend way was an inevitable event in my life that I could not avoid. I slipped into a realm further than friendship but just a stretch away from the likeness of romance. I shuddered at the thought (me, as a boyfriend?), but with her, it did not seem so scary (key word: "seem"). Who was I kidding? I'd never been in like (I couldn't say "love" – not yet). Sure, there were other girls that I'd think were cute, but even though Sora wasn't perfect, I'd have to say she was perfectly fine for me. That's all I needed. That's all I wanted. Nothing more, nothing less.

Yep, I was forever stuck in the Friendzone, and I was trying to come to terms with it. Hell, I'd like to consider myself the President of the Friendzone, and I welcomed, with open arms, those who were admittedly good enough, but too little, too late.

Don't get me wrong – I have accepted the fact that Sora stayed with Matt, but that didn't mean I couldn't complain about it, just a little. And, who knows? Maybe this waiting game was just a phase and I'd move on to someone better suited for me. Maybe _Matt_ was better suited for her. Future Me, you could handle the heartbreak and hormones for me later if we find someone better for us. Though, at this point, I couldn't imagine anyone better than Sora.

In the meantime, Present Me was about to get some churros.

Late in the afternoon, I found myself perched in front of Davis Motomiya's apartment door. If there were any type of comfort food out there that could fill the void in my heart (I was exaggerating, of course; it was more like the emptiness of my stomach), it was biting into the crunchy, fried goodness that was sugar-coated churros. I haven't had one since I'd gone to Tokyo Disneyland last year with Sora; she had forced me to try its deliciousness and in an instant everything I knew about good, greasy fatty foods had changed. So, when Davis invited me to the new Charlie's Churros at the mall, I just _had _to be there. Before I could knock on the door, as if on cue, the knob turned by itself instantly, startling me enough to make me jump back in reflex. The door swung open quickly, hitting the interior wall with a bang so hard that it would have been a miracle if it didn't leave a dent or hole. Davis appeared, grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling me in so suddenly that I almost lost my footing and nearly toppled over him. He shut the door behind me, then returned to putting his hands on my shoulders once more.

"_Dude," _I said. "What's wrong?"

"Um, can you help me cheer up Jun?" he replied meekly. I brought my palm to my face, groaning loudly. "I know, I know," Davis began again. "She won't listen to me, but maybe _you _can knock some sense into her!"

"What happened this time?..." I asked more reluctantly than intended. He dragged me by the arm along the hallways of his apartment, stopping in front of Jun's door, where loud sniffles could be heard from inside. I cringed. I mean, I almost felt bad for the girl, but, judge me as cruel when I say this, but she was borderline _crazy_ for a number of reasons.

"You know ninety-nine percent of Jun's issues are first world problems, right? There are starving children out there in the world and she's concerned about the unrealistic expectations she has of an unknown local boy band who can't stand her?"

He sighed, turning away from me and began to gently bang his head against Jun's door. Before he could smack it again, I laid my palm out flat before he could make contact against the hard surface, and pulled him forward by his forehead toward me. "Get it together, man!" I snapped. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."

"Aren't you Matt's best friend? Can't you, like, get him to sign an autograph for her or something?"

"Davis, I'm fairly certain she wants more than his autograph."

"What more could she want?!"

I pressed a finger to my mouth, indicating for him to shush, and let myself into Jun's room. Davis tried to tiptoe behind me into her room, and I waved my hands at him frantically, signaling him to wait outside. He mouthed, "Good luck," and I rolled my eyes at him just before he shut the door behind us, leaving Jun and me alone.

She was sprawled onto her bed, flat on her stomach, with her head buried so deep into the pillow you'd think that she was stuck there and you'd hope that, perhaps, that was the reason for her bellows. I approached with caution. "So, hey, Jun," I stated awkwardly. She sniffed so loudly that you could practically hear the snot shoot back into her nostrils with a sharp, almost rip-like sound. I made a face of disgust, but quickly shot her a grin as she began to peer up from her pillow, returning the smile herself. I sat on the edge of her bed.

"Hi, Tai," she hiccuped. Her auburn hair clung to the tear streaks on her cheeks. I gently brushed her hair away from her eyes, thinking to myself that, if I handled this correctly, I'd be out on my way with Davis to Churro Land, Etc. (a.k.a. the mall food court). My stomach, at this time, had priority over just about everything, considering I hadn't eaten all day. _Get the girl to cheer up, and you get to eat,_ I kept telling myself.

"Heard you were having a bad day?"

"MATT REJECTED ME," she cried loudly. I had to stop myself from covering my ears.

"Get over it, Jun!" Davis yelled from outside the door. I took the goggles from around my neck and threw them against the door, as if that would shut him up.

"Um, Jun," I started, turning back to face her. "You do know that Matt's taken, right?"

I saw tears well up in her eyes, and I held my hands up in the air, defeated. "But you know what's _not_ taken?" I said quickly. "The position as Matt's _Number One Fan._"

"He said I smelled like old grapes and that I could grow old now," she whined, wiping her tears with her hands. "Then he told me to go home."

I squinted my eyes at her in suspicion, scratching my index finger against the side of my head. I wasn't exactly the best person to seek advice from, but I certainly knew a thing or two about being stuck in the Friendzone. "Um, I'm sure that, somehow, there was some miscommunication, but, anyway, Jun, you'll get over this."

She buried her face into her pillow again, making the sound that was a cross between a moan and a snort. "How do you know?" she said, muffled against the pillow.

I put my hand on her shoulder, encouraging her, "Trust me, I _know. _I know what it's like for someone to not return the same feelings as you do, and, you know what? It's not okay. You'll feel like you'll never be fine again."

She shot me a look from her pillow, clearly confused.

I continued, "And that's just the truth of it – but you'll _live. _That's the amazing thing we humans do. We learn to accept things how they are, and we move on. Then, we turn out okay. We tend to dwell so much on the negative that we can't look past it. There is no use trying to deny how you feel. You feel _awful, _but who's the one making you feel bad? Matt, or yourself?"

Jun frowned, and suddenly I began to believe that I was making the situation much worse. "I'm sorry, Jun, I'm not really good at saying stuff. I just wanted you to know that what you're saying and feeling is entirely normal. We ask ourselves, 'Why?' Just 'Why?' all the time. Well, why _not?_... We learn from the mistakes we make in the past... " I shifted uncomfortably, mentally reminding myself to kick Davis' ass after this whole ordeal.

"No, you're right, Tai," she said quietly, and she sat up from her bed, sitting cross-legged beside me on the edge of her bed. "I just can't help but think _she's _better than me."

"You mean Sora?" I asked stupidly. Of course she had meant Sora. "You can't compare yourself to Sora. You're two unique people in entirely different ways. The way you're feeling is normal."

"I know… I guess I'm just being insecure," she replied. "Have you really felt like this before?"

_Well, not to these extremities, _I thought to myself, but instead said aloud, "I think that everybody goes through this at least once in their lifetime because … just because. No reason why. I guess it just leads to something better, eventually."

She had stopped crying, as if all of her problems had disappeared, and put her head against my shoulder. At this point, I noted that I must have done something right. I added, "I mean, I turned out okay. So far. I think."

Jun giggled, then said, "Tai, you are so funny. Davis is very lucky to have you as a friend. I mean, you gave him your _original _goggles. So is Sora; she's lucky to have you too. And so is _Matt. _He's just _so _handsome, Tai. I'm just in love with his eyes. Such a deep, pretty blue. And his voice. I mean, his normal voice is just so quiet! I literally don't even remember what it _sounds _like; all I can hear in my head is his beautiful, harmonic singing voice, and –"

I could hear her begin to ramble on and on about how amazingly God-like Matt was, but I stopped _really _listening and allowed myself to get distracted as I felt a vibration from inside my pocket. Since Jun's head was placed onto my shoulder, I discreetly pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, out of her sight, checking who was messaging me, thanking them silently to myself as I was about to endure another endless speech of how Matt was pretty much the perfect human being (for some reason, girls _loved _to tell me things about him as if I cared).

To my surprise, Sora's name had appeared on my phone in its own pop-up. I smiled, realizing that she was getting back to me about hanging out later today.

_Sora the Awesome _(She edited her own name on my phone, I swear - not that she wasn't awesome):

"h3y can u meet wiff me at da mall at 3 lol."

Even though I was a lazy typist when it came to text messaging, even _I_ had to cringe at the lack of proper spelling and grammar, which had to mean one of several things: 1. Sora was messing around with me, which wouldn't have made sense because sending a text message void of appropriate writing etiquette wasn't her style anyway, 2. Her phone had been stolen and hacked, or 3. Someone was texting for her. Either way, I had already told Davis I would hang out with him for the day, and I had one Jun Motomiya also glued to my side, and it would take awhile to pry her off of me. Even though we would be at the mall ourselves, I didn't want Davis to feel obligated to hang out with Sora - not that he didn't like her; he always just felt like the "third wheel" whenever he hung out with Sora and me. As much as I didn't want to, I'd have to tell Sora we'd have to meet up on another day.

Like the sneaky ninja I was, I replied to Sora with one hand, all while nodding my head, pretending to listen to Jun as she continued to talk about how great Matt was, or something.

I texted back, "im a little occupied today" (which was totally an understatement) "rain check? i wanna try those new churros at the mall lol". I reread the text message after I had sent it, and added, to make up for blowing _her _off: "you say u love thunder showers so what's a rain check between friends? LOL. Sry had to." I smiled to myself, thinking back on the time, which seemed like ages ago, she had convinced me to play tag with her in the pouring rain during a roaring thunder storm, despite my warnings and concerns about, you know, the possibility of getting electrocuted. Usually, she was the logical one between the two of us, but she loved thunders showers so much that she didn't care for anything but the sights, smells, and sounds of it. The soaked city was ours to claim, and the detonation of thunder in the sky rung approvingly above us.

_"We won't get struck by lightning." _

_"I will kill you if I do and you don't."_

_"Murphy's Law: 'Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.'"_

_"That's not making this any better!"_

_She laughed. "But who better to have all my wrongs occur with other than you?"_

We ended up catching colds the following day, but, hey, it was the better wrong of all wrongs that could have, well, gone wrong.

"Will you, Tai?" Jun had asked suddenly. She lifted her head off of my shoulder and looked at me eagerly, as if her life depended on what I would say in response. Suddenly, I was well aware again of my current situation. _Shit, _I thought. _I hadn't listened to a word she said. _At that moment, I racked my brain for several possible responses, quickly deciding which ones to eliminate:

_Scenario 1:  
_Tai: No.  
Jun: OMG, I'M GOING TO DIE.

_Scenario 2:  
_Tai: Maybe?  
Jun: OMG, I'M GOING TO DIE. AND IT WOULD BE ALL YOUR FAULT.

_Scenario 3:  
_Tai: Um, yes?  
Jun: Ding ding, right answer! Then again, I'm hypothetical-Jun in your head, and saying "yes" is _so_ much easier than saying "no," so why don't you try this option?

"Um, yes?" I said aloud cautiously, heart beating faster. I was hoping it was a, "Will you get me an autograph from Matt?" or something else plausible and sane, though, coming from Jun, I had a feeling I should have been paying closer attention.

She smiled - _phew - _and linked her arm around mine. "You're such a great listener, Tai." She stood up, pulling me along with her. "I mean, it makes sense to be the next move, right?"

_STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS, WOMAN. _I was mentally pulling out my hair from my head from frustration, but found myself gathering a small amount of courage to at least whimper a pathetic, "Right." Again, she grinned approvingly. "Come on, let's go get those churros. My wittle bwother has been begging me to take him and you guys need a ride. Let me just get ready."

She led me to her door, and I was dragged almost limply behind her as I was trying to figure out what she could have possibly meant. She stopped in her tracks, taking a moment to pick up my goggles from the floor, which I had forgotten that I'd thrown at the door earlier. I was about to reach for them from her hands, but she pulled away sharply, instead putting it over my head for me and slid it around my neck, adjusting it so that the rims of each side were dangling evenly on opposite ends. She nodded in self-approval, and sent me along my way as she closed the door behind her to get ready in the apparent wake of her self-invitation.

Davis was sitting on the floor outside in the hallway, and he quickly got up as soon as he saw me exit Jun's room.

"What happened?"

"I have no idea."

* * *

Jun took nearly an hour to get ready, and by that time, Davis and I had built a Twinkie Tower, played several rounds of _Super Smash Brothers_ (which I won more than half of with my main man, Link), and prank called T.K., Joe, _and _Izzy (needless to say, they were not amused), all while whispering among ourselves that we could have been at the mall by now, even on foot, if it weren't for her.

"Why did you invite her?" Davis hissed at me, his mouth agape as we were watching the new _Final Fantasy VII Remake _trailer on YouTube.

Eyes focused on the computer screen, I retorted back, "She invited herself, and I'm not going to just be, like, 'Hey, you can't come with us.'"

"I'M DONE. LET'S GO, BOYS!" Jun shouted from behind us.

For a split second, I averted my gaze from the screen and took a quick glance at Jun, only to do a double take. Her attire was right for all the wrong reasons. It consisted of a snug black leather jacket, covering a white floral-print dress adorned with pink roses, revealing a hint of cleavage. Her transparent black leggings extended all the way down to her black flats. She had a ton of make up on, and the fact that even_ I_ noticed had to say something about that. Her dress looked _just _like one that Sora owned but almost never wore because she always felt embarrassed being associated with so many flower-like things, considering she worked at a flower shop. I felt a sharp nudge against the side of my hip.

"_Dude, _that's my sister," he snapped at me.

"Now you know what it's like when someone stares at your sister," I responded.

Jun smirked. "So you were staring at me, Tai?"

I felt my face burn. I didn't know what would be more embarrassing to admit: that I was staring at Jun, or that I was staring at Jun because her dress reminded me of Sora. In attempt to brush off the question, I changed the subject and asked, "Okay, can we _go _now?"

* * *

Oh, my God. It tasted like Heaven.

As I took obnoxiously loud bites out of my churro, I thought to myself that it was good that I was somewhat distracted because, right before heading to Charlie's Churros, we had almost run into Sora and Matt at some coffee shop we passed by in the food court. I supposed since I had told her I was busy that she had gone with Matt instead – made sense. They sat close to each other, with his arm around her and her head buried against the collar of his shirt. I couldn't help but smile because they looked so happy together and I had to wonder if that someday I would have what they shared with someone else. Davis had almost interrupted their moment by saying hello to them, but Jun and I pulled him back.

Between the hustles and bustles around us, with people rushing by us, eager to finish getting from point A to point B, time seemed to have stopped for the two lovebirds. I stared for several seconds without meaning to, thinking that, if she were meant to be happy with anyone, it had to be him. I felt a tug of my arm, and my focus shifted away from them. Jun skipped happily along my side while Davis glared at the two of us on our way to the food court, and I mentally pleaded for him to forgive me for something I didn't know I was apologizing for.

"Jun," I said after we sat down. "You okay? Since we ran into Sora and Ma—"

"_Don't say the M-word!" _Davis sharply whispered with slight rage, as if Jun wasn't in front of us. He accidentally spat out some of the cinnamon sugar of his churro onto my face, and I wiped it off in disgust.

"_Matt _was so yesterday, " Jun said, crossing her arms across her chest, pouting slightly.

"Technically, he was so two hours ago," Davis mumbled, taking a bitter bite out of his churro.

Jun continued, "I'm just so glad I have Taichi now," and she took her thumb and wiped off some of the crumbs by my lips.

I merely blinked in response, speechless. Davis exchanged an equally "WTF" expression on his face, scrunching up his nose as if he heard and saw the most appalling, unspeakable thing you could think of. Okay, there was a clearly misguided Jun Motomiya in between Davis and me, and, somehow, along the way of my conversation with her earlier – between sloppy words, solemn tears, and useless advice - I seemed to be completely missing out on an important piece of information that only she seemed to be aware of. "Er," I sputtered out. "Jun, can we take a walk? Alone?"

She beamed. "Of _course!_ Stay here, punk wittle bwuther!"

I stood up immediately, dragging Jun by the arm behind me, knowing that the profoundly confused Davis sat there, stunned. I wished there was an explanation I could give him, but I was just as lost as he was. I took her by the corner of the food court, a somewhat quiet and isolated spot of the mall that I had hoped no one else would be able to run into us, because God forbid someone would find me with Jun and take things the wrong way. I gulped, fiddling with my goggles' strap for a second while Jun waited for me to speak.

"I think I'm missing something here," I confessed.

She took one big step toward me, a little too close for comfort as she was merely inches away from my face. "I don't think you are," she murmured.

And she wrapped her hand around my goggles, pulling my neck forward, and pressed her lips hard against mine. I felt her squeeze my goggles as I stood there, _literally _speechless_. _She kissed me harder so as she began to place her hand on my head, running her fingers through it, something I _never _in my lifetime believed would ever happen. Her lips were moist, and although, being a teenage boy, kissing a girl was something I had always wanted to do, this wasn't the right place, the right time, nor the right girl. My arms felt stiff, as if by invisible compulsion, they were glued by my sides permanently. I refused to let time freeze in on us, and so I coerced myself to lift my arms up - to do something, anything to stop what was happening.

I placed both my hands on her waist, pushing her away gently enough to make her pull away from the embrace.

"What's wrong?" she asked, stepping toward me again. I backed up.

"Jun," I said sternly. "_What_ was that?!"

"You're my boyfriend. Is it so wrong to want to kiss my boyfriend?"

Boyfriend. Boy. Friend. _BOYFRIEND?_

"I'm sorry - what?" I asked again. Before I could say anything further, she gave me a quick peck again, leaving me flabbergasted.

"My boyfriend? Remember? In my room? I was, like, 'Hey, I know what we should do! WE should totally date!' and you were, like, 'Yeah, I'll totally date you!' and then we became boyfriend and girlfriend," she said so quickly that she hardly took a breath while talking.

And she looked so happy, that it made my own heart sink when I had to say, "Jun... I'm sorry, but I wasn't listening to you while you said that, and my stupid self said that, on a whim, that I agreed, but I had no idea what I was agreeing to."

The look on her face - so this was what it was like to break up with someone (though I could hardly call it a break up). Her gaze averted from mine, shifting to the floor as her head hung down. She said sadly, "I guess there's something wrong with me."

I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, "Jun, nothing is wrong with you. I'm just the idiot that didn't listen because I got a text message from Sora around that time we were talking and I got distracted. Believe me, I'm sure any other guy would be thrilled to be kissed by you." A white lie couldn't hurt the girl.

Her lips curved into a small smile. "Sora, huh?" I froze, realizing what I had just said, but there was no use denying it. "Why does it always have to be her?" She muttered, chuckling to herself.

"Yeah..." I trailed off, sheepishly grinning. "And it's because she struck me with lightning and I haven't been able to recover since."

"I should've known. I'm sorry for being so impulsive today."

"I was the asshole who wasn't listening to you. _I'm _sorry. Though, now I can say you were the best girlfriend I've had for two hours." She laughed, and we hugged it out awkwardly. I explained to her my whole ordeal with Sora, and she understood. For a crazy girl like Jun, we had a lot in common, though I think my reasoning for liking Sora made a whole lot more sense than her "love" for Matt. I told her that, someday, someone would strike her with lightning too, and that the important thing to realize was that Matt and Sora were happy together.

"I hope you steal Sora away from Matt so that I could have him," she said, completely ignoring everything I had said to her today. Though, I wasn't sure if she was joking or not.

* * *

**goggles x: **so jun and i broke up today.  
**prodigious1: **... wait, what?  
**goggles x: **yep.

I heard my cell phone ring immediately after my last message to Izzy. Smirking, I picked it up without checking the caller ID, and lifted the phone to my ear, hearing a blaring, "YOU AND JUN HAVE BEEN DATING?" I laughed, replying, "Oh, yeah. Totally. Two hours total."

As I was explaining to Izzy what had happened today, Kari barged into my room, frantically panting in heavy breaths. _Shit, _I thought. I hadn't realized my door wasn't closed, and the fact that my paper thin walls allowed no secrets to be held didn't help either.

"TAICHI MURIEL KAMIYA, YOU KISSED JUN?!" she shrieked.

"YOUR MIDDLE NAME IS MURIEL?" I heard Izzy shout on the other end of the phone line. Great, now I had two people yelling at me. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. And, no, my middle name was _not _Muriel. That was just a thing Kari said in front of other people to piss me off. I swear.

"_She _kissed _me," _I said. "And my middle name is not Muriel!"

I proceeded to inform Kari on what I had told Izzy, and she burst out in obnoxious guffaws, making me glare at her and instantly regret sharing the whole ordeal with anyone. At this point, I had put Izzy on speaker phone. "Does Sora know?" he asked. I groaned.

"Why would she need or want to know?! Of course she doesn't," I said, then added threateningly, "And she nor anyone else will find out, got it, guys?"

Kari piped in, "Well, _we _may not tell anyone, but how do you know Jun won't? She'll probably tell Davis, and you know she's going to end up telling Matt to make him 'jealous.' He's going to tell Sora, who's going to tell Mimi, who's going to tell, you know, the whole world - real _and _digital."

I flopped over my bed, face down, pretending to scream into the sheets. Kari sat down next to me, patting my head. "There, there, big brother," she said, trying to stifle her laughter. I peeked up to glare at her once more.

"Taichi Muriel Kamiya," Izzy stated simply.

"I will hang up on you."

"Maybe you should tell Sora what happened," he suggested.

"What's the point?" I asked. "It's not like anything will happen between the two of us. She doesn't _need _to know. I'm also perfectly fine with her staying with Matt, you know - and I'm not just saying that."

"Is it because you secretly like Jun?" Kari teased, and I nearly threw my phone at her as she laughed again. "Maybe fate or destiny brought you and Jun-bug together."

"Or maybe it was the churros," I said bluntly. "If it wasn't for Davis' stupid yet brilliant idea to hang out this wouldn't have happened!"

Kari scoffed. "But you were the one who wasn't listening to her when she needed a friend!"

"Cut me some slack; I just got out of a relationship," I joked. Both Kari and Izzy told me to shut up in unison.

"Anyway, I agree with Izzy. She's your best friend. Best friends need to know these things, anyway! Plus, better for her to find out from you than someone else," Kari quipped.

"Yep," Izzy chimed.

I sighed. They had a point.

* * *

Later that evening, I had finally decided to gather up the courage to tell Sora what had happened. I wasn't sure how I was going to go about it as per usual, but I supposed a "hello" would be a start if I rung her up. Though, I didn't know why I felt so awkward about telling her. I mean, she and Matt had already kissed, so why should Jun and I kissing be any weirder?

I thought about it.

Okay, it was pretty fucking weird, but I had every right to kiss any other girl besides Sora, right? For some reason, although the logic was there - that, yes, I _could _ kiss any girl who gave me the consent to - somehow, it felt _wrong _keeping this from Sora. I had to tell her. I had to tell the girl who struck me with lightning, my partner, my less-than-lover-but-more-than-friend-kind-of-friend. There didn't seem to be a sensible reason why (then again, nothing about being in like or love ever made sense); something inside me was just urging me to do so.

I scrolled through my contacts list until I reached _Sora the Awesome. _If anything that could go wrong, was bound to go wrong, then I'd rather just get it over with.

I was about to hit "call," until my ring tone suddenly played, startling me. Confused, I looked to see who was calling: _Sora the Awesome. _It was a rather strangely convenient coincidence, but I shrugged, touching the "accept" button on my phone.

"Tai?"

The responding voice on the other line clearly wasn't Sora's. It was a higher-pitched, all too familiar voice. Ears perked, I straightened myself up.

"Mimi, is that you?"

"Tai, you have to get here now. Sora's run away."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope it was obvious, but this chapter coincides concurrently with the previous chapter (except for the very last part)!

Also, got the whole "Muriel" middle name thing from _Friends._

_Next_: "The How" (finally, right?), which will be two parts, then it'll all be topped off by "The Conclusion," which is basically the epilogue. 3 more chapters to go - woah! Thank you for continuing to read this silly fic, lovelies! Please let me know what you think so far!


	9. The How, Part I

_And this was_

**The How.**

\- Part I -

Breathe.

Slow and steady – inhale, then exhale. I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my palm, nervous not from anticipation, but rather the unknown. I stood there almost idly, only moving to shift my weight from my right to left foot every now and then. I closed my eyes, reminding myself to just breathe_, _breathe_, breathe. _Although I wasn't particularly new at this, my thoughts hadn't necessarily settled down enough to help me remain calm. I kept asking myself, over and over, _Is she okay?_

"Are you ready?"

The unsure voice spoke from behind me. It sounded almost distorted, more or less distant, since I couldn't focus. I could only stare at the object sitting before me. I knew their eyes were on me, worried. I wasn't so much concerned for myself. I just needed her to come home safely.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I mumbled, uncertain.

Lifting my right arm upward, I held my Digivice to the computer screen, and felt myself get tugged forward demandingly, coercing my arms and legs to dangle limply by my sides as a pressure of wind blew against me. I was engulfed by a fluorescent blue light as I surged into the screen, grimacing as I hurled to the other side.

* * *

_Hours earlier_

* * *

"_Tai, you have to get here now. Sora's run away." _

I hurried to Mimi's in a panic. Kari accompanied me, who remained surprisingly calm. I paced back and forth aimlessly, trying to put together mindless puzzle pieces that wouldn't fit. I was the mad man in the room and I couldn't figure out why. Who in their right mind _wouldn't _freak out when one of their best friends went missing? Izzy and Joe had managed to get there before us – Joe was watching as Izzy typed furiously away on his laptop. It surprised me to find Joe there, who was often stuck at home studying, rather than Matt. In a moment so delicate, so urgent, like this, you'd think Sora's own boyfriend would have been the first one to notice she had run away.

"Where's Matt?" I demanded, crossing my arms.

"Er, he's not here," Izzy mumbled, still fiddling around on his laptop, eyes never meeting mine.

I groaned. "_Obviously. _Isn't he worried that his girlfriend's missing? Shouldn't we call the police?"

Mimi poked me in the rib. "Oh, Tai, you are _so_ darling when you freak out about her!" I glared at her and she grinned in return. "We can't call the police because it hasn't been twenty-four hours since she's been missing. Plus, we know where she went, and we don't want them knowing where."

"What? Where is she?" I asked.

"The Digital World."

Floods of distant memories flashed before my eyes in bleak snapshots. The Digital World, simply put, was not a safe place, no matter how many companions we made there. I mean, she couldn't have just picked a place in Japan I could have just biked to instead? I stifled a nervous laugh, succumbing to the irony; she _would _pick the most difficult place to find her, but why?

Mimi continued, all while twirling her hair nonchalantly with a finger, "I saw her last before she disappeared. She told me where she was headed to, took her leave, and I called all of you as soon as it happened. I don't even know why she left." She let out an exponentially loud sigh. "This has me so stressed out that my hair has become frizzy!"

The rest of us remained silent, until Izzy spoke up, "Um… so I have the portal to the DigiWorld open…"

"I don't think this is a good idea," Joe muttered quietly.

"Tai, you _must _go get her!" Mimi exclaimed, casting Joe's eerie comment aside.

"Wait, aren't you guys coming with me?" I asked.

If there was anything I learned from our past adventures, it was that traveling alone was simply dangerous – even, particularly, for a guy like me. I had to admit, I acted before thinking far more often than I'd like. I needed a guy like Joe, whose reliability would have guided me to finding her in a rational matter. I needed Izzy, whose logic and wit would have led me back smoothly from the Digital World to the Real World. Hell, I needed Matt, who probably would have been better at convincing Sora to come back to the Real World than me – if only the bastard was even here. Even Mimi would have been a sufficient companion to bring because … well, okay, I don't know what good she'd be, but the fact was that I didn't think I could do this _alone. _

"I'll go with you, Tai," Kari said quietly, tugging at my arm. I didn't want Kari coming with me; a hopeful girl like her did not belong in the depths of the DigiWorld.

"_No!_" Mimi and I shouted in unison. We looked at each other awkwardly.

"Nonsense," Mimi chimed, pushing me toward Izzy's laptop. "Kari needs to be safe here, my nails just got done, and Izzy and Joe will be monitoring you through your Digivice. Plus, we have a location on where Sora is with hers. You'll be transported somewhere near her. Easy peasy!"

"So why didn't you guys just go find her yourselves?" I mumbled, thinking it would have been more efficient if they didn't have to get me to come all the way to Mimi's. Not that I minded going after her. I tugged the collar of my shirt anxiously, hoping we weren't wasting precious time. "Okay, I guess I'm not _as _worried since you'll have eyes on me, sort of. The least you could've done was told me all of this before I started freaking out."

She chose to ignore my statement, and I narrowed my eyes at her as she quipped, "Bring her back safely!" with a wink.

"I'll come back dragging her with a broken leg if I have to," I stated sarcastically. "Agumon and the others better be there."

Mimi rolled her eyes, giving me a light pinch on the shoulder. "As long as _she's _safe!" Then, she laughed manically. "I tease. Taichi, you'd best come back in one piece!"

"They should be nearby if my locator is working correctly," Izzy said, referring to our Digimon friends. Finally, he stood up, carrying his laptop and placing it on the tableside by Mimi's bed. He brought his hand up to the tip of the laptop and flipped it around, its screen showing distorted pixels clashing together in whirls, indicating the portal was ready for me.

"Wait, Tai," Kari said, grabbing my shoulder. I turned around, ready for her words of encouragement and light.

"T.K. and I are dating, by the way. Please don't be mad at him," she blurted out.

"WHAT?!" I hollered, fuming immediately. What the freaking _hell_?! Takaishi and _my precious, most innocent little sister?! _

"Now go bring back Sora for us!" she said, grinning nervously, and pushed me toward the laptop.

"I WILL KILL T.K. LATER," I shouted threateningly. Mimi burst into laughter, and I even noticed looks of amusement plastered on Joe's and Izzy's faces. "Good timing, little sis. You and I _are going to have a talk _after I come back," I whispered harshly, glaring at her. Kari smiled again, nodding for my own sake. She responded, "Be safe, big brother."

I groaned, shaking off the thought aside and remembered my purpose for the next few hours. I hoped this would be a quick visit to the DigiWorld and back. Sora wasn't _that _stubborn, and if Matt wasn't here, I was certain that I was the next best person in line to convince her to return home.

"Are you ready?"

* * *

_The Present_

* * *

I landed with a thud.

Groggily, I hoisted myself up, bringing my knees from the ground and wiped my arms and legs from the dirt. I took a moment to examine my surroundings, noticing the air smelled almost musty, and the mist seemed to feel _sticky_ against my body. The odor seemed to have moisturized into the air. I scrunched my nose up in the disgust and set foot to wander – beginning my search for a sign, a clue, a _something _for the familiar carrot-top haired girl. It was night time in the Digital World, and I could not help but sense that the atmosphere was a tad creepier than usual. The trees creaked silently as I walked on by, shivering as I rubbed my arms to keep warm. The wind sung a lonesome, haunting hymn.

Clouds of air escaped my mouth as I breathed out, and I wondered if Sora, at the very least, had brought a jacket. "S-Sora!" I managed to shout. It was unusual how so damn cold it was, but, then again, I hadn't been to the Digital World this late in a long, long time. I had forgotten how bloodcurling it could be. "Dammit," I muttered under my breath. "Izzy had said Agumon and the others would be close by." I gently touched the Digivice attached to my belt, ensuring that it was still there. _Agumon will find me, _I tried to reassure myself, choosing to ignore the uncertainty.

Leaves and broken twigs crunched below my footsteps, emitting quiet echoes around me. Every now and then I could here a _chirp _or a _rattle, _indicating there were eyes on me that I could not see. I clearly wasn't alone, and although I held the Crest of Courage, I was beginning to feel fearful. I tried to feign bravery. "Sora!" I yelped again. I kept my raised voice at a minimum, hoping that I wouldn't wake up any beings that may be around.

I looked up, seeing stars shine down upon me, and I thought back on my past ventures at this foreign land. It was where I _really _got to know Sora, and our other friends. I was deemed the leader, the one who was supposed to make all of the right decisions, yet I knew there was some doubt behind my leadership. Granted, I often acted brashly, and downright foolishly at times, for reasons I could not explain to this day. Well, except for maybe that my head was too thick. I gulped, hoping that, if the moment called for it, that I would at least make decisions that would get Sora home safely, even if it meant I'd be stranded here for a few hours – or even days – longer.

Even though I had grown up since my first adventure here, I couldn't help but still feel so small in this world.

I had almost lost Sora once in the Digital World. Although we faced multiple times of danger, nothing compared to the time when she was kidnapped by Datamon. I furrowed my eyebrows at the thought again, lifting some low tree branches out of my way as I moved forward in the dark pathway. I had heard about how she was nearly trapped in the Dark Cave, just as Matt was, but Matt and Joe had managed to save her. Frowning, I kept telling myself that I would be able to do what Matt had done for her.

In the darkness, I hoped that she would see me as the guiding light out, even though Matt wasn't there.

I heard a sudden rustle in a bush to my right, and I turned around, bending my knees, fists balled up. Two eyeballs popped up from the leaves, peering at me from inside the bush. I tensed up, backing away slowly. Almost leisurely, the figure emerged from the bush. Its slimy, green texture shined even in the dimness, and its near-perfect teeth grinned at me, sticking its tongue out wildly. Its glowing red eyes looked up at me intently. I immediately recognized him, and I hoped he knew who I was before he attacked me with the worst possible weapon: turd.

"Hey," I said gently. He perked his eyes up. I added, "Numemon, right?"

"Are you the princess' friend?" he asked, crawling slowly toward me.

"'The princess?'" I repeated.

"Princess Mimi," he said. It dawned at me that every Digimon here thought of Mimi as a princess for whatever reason. I mentally rolled my eyes. She was the spoiled, bratty girl worshiped in both the Digital and Real Worlds.

"Yes, I am," I answered, hopeful. "Remember? We came to Toy Town years ago. She sent me here to look for our other friend, Sora. Have you seen her?"

Numemon creeped up next to me, and I had to wonder if the foul odor was coming from him. I tried to discreetly back away. "I do not know of any humans besides Her Royal Highness" – I cringed at the honorific – "What does this 'Sora' look like?"

"She's pretty," I said at once. _Okay, way to be specific._ "She has short, bright orange hair, amber eyes, usually wears a t-shirt and jeans." The Numemon gave me a confused look. I continued, "Uh, she usually wears clothes that look like mine. She's a lot thinner than me. Oh, and she's yea-high," and I indicated her approximate height with my palm. "She's a human girl that isn't Mimi," I added.

And as if my last comment had lit up a light bulb in his brain (if he had one), he exclaimed, "Methinks the girl that was not Mimi went that way." He bent his eyeballs all the way down to the right, as if it were an arrow.

I beamed. "Thanks," I said, but before I could step forward, he crawled up next to me, blocking my pathway.

"What do I get for sharing this information?" he asked surly, flashing me a sly grin.

"Tell you what," I said. "Next time, I'll have Mimi come here personally and give you a kiss, okay?"

He licked his upper teeth, and I nearly barfed from the idea, but it was the only thing I could think of without getting this guy angry at me and not letting me leave. For all I knew, Sora was getting further and further away from me as I stood here wasting seconds. He happily obliged, crawling to the side and watched me as I sprinted past him into the unknown.

"SORA!" I yelled as I ran faster. It was getting darker, and the only illumination guiding my way were the all too distant stars above – the closest thing around my environment that reminded me of home, home, _home. _"Sooora! – _Shit!_"

I slid to a halt, finding myself almost reaching the edge of a cliff. I was so distracted in the dark that I had not noticed that I was no longer surrounded by trees all of a sudden. I heard a roaring, gushing waterfall to my left, and over the edge of the cliff I could see nothing but mist arising from the end of the waterfall. I heaved, thankful I had stopped on time.

"Tai?!"

I perked up, and a sudden rush of happiness and, most of all, relief overwhelmed me. I turned around, and was grateful to see the familiar red-headed girl before me. Her hair was out of place, sticking up from its ends, and she had patches of dirt all over her body. In her right hand, she held a silver object that I couldn't quite make out from where I was standing. I began to walk toward her.

"Tai," she said, and a hint of her tone sounded almost... relieved _and _annoyed at the same time. "I–"

Before she could finish, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her for an embrace. She gasped a little, caught off guard. I buried my nose against her hair – getting a whiff of her infamous sakura blossom scent. I hugged her tightly, and slowly, she returned the touch, bringing her arms around my waist. She nuzzled her head against my neck, and I let out a soft sigh. We stood there in silence, just holding each other.

Finally, I let go, reaching up to brush some of her hair behind her ears. She reached for my hand, gently squeezing it. "I'm so glad I found you," she said quietly, just above a whisper.

"Me, too," I agreed.

At first, I was too happy to notice the strangeness of the situation. I had found her, she was safe (albeit dirty and unkept, but that didn't take away from how graceful she still looked), and we could finally return home. Then, it hit me. "Wait," I said cautiously. "_You_ were looking for _me_?"

"Taichi Kamiya!" Sora spat out, infuriated all of a sudden, and gave me a gentle shove on the shoulder. She didn't hold back her apparent irritation. "_Of course _I was looking for you! Why would you worry me like that?!"

"What are you talking about?" I retorted, confused. "_You _worried _me! _You're the one who ran away!"

"No, _you _ran away!" she argued.

"No, _you _did!"

"Wait, what?"

"…What?"

My mouth was agape at this point, and, really, I was void of all emotions except confusion. She turned her head to the side, pondering as well. Something wasn't adding up, and suddenly it occurred to me that _clearly _our friends on the other side knew something that we both didn't.

"Mimi told me you ran away into the Digital World, so I came here to find you," I explained, rubbing the back of my hair. Sora gasped, bringing her hand over her mouth, and then began shaking her head.

"She told me the same thing, except that _you _ran away. That's why I came here. I was worried sick. Izzy gave me this–" She held up the silver object that I had noticed before, and this time I realized it was a slender netbook "–to go back to the Real World once I found you."

"This doesn't make sense. Why would she say that to us?" I asked.

She hesitated before answering, her mouth forming silent words at first, but couldn't let out. I waited patiently for her until she finally said, "I think I may know why, but I'll tell you once we get out of here. Long story short, she wanted us – you and me – to _talk._"

"What the hell?" I muttered, throwing my hands in the air. "_That, _we could've done in the Real freakin' World! She's batshit crazy!"

Sora stifled a chuckle, agreeing, "Yeah. She is. I supposed she figured trapping us here in the DigiWorld would force us to talk."

I rolled my eyes, bringing a hand up to rub my forehead in frustration. "Leave it to Mimi to come up with the worst idea ever."

* * *

_What Happened Prior  
(Or, if you will, The Plan)_

* * *

"I have the best idea ever!" Mimi exclaimed, eyes gleaming from excitement. The others glanced at her warily.

"Mimi, please don't get me wrong, but I sincerely do hope this is 'the best idea ever' because I _really _need to be studying for my exams," Joe said quietly, nervously playing with his sweater's sleeve.

"Oh, _Joe-y_, of_ course _it is! If it wasn't, I wouldn't have had both you and Izzy here to help me carry out this wonderfully brilliant plan of mine." Mimi squealed to herself, clasping her hands delightfully.

"I hope it isn't an evil plan," Izzy muttered to himself.

"I heard that, Mister Izumi!" Mimi scolded. Her mouth curled into a smile, continuing, "So, if you haven't heard the news, Sora and Matt have broken up." She looked at the two boys proudly, expecting a response. All she received were blank stares. Glaring, she continued, "Which _means _that Tai can ask her out now!"

"Er, I didn't even know Tai had feelings for Sora. He always seemed so cool about Sora and Matt dating," Joe admitted. "It's a shame they've broken up; I hope everything is okay between them."

"I don't think Tai is ready for a relationship right now," Izzy said, remembering the ordeal Tai had earlier in the day with Jun. Mimi groaned, frustrated the two were _clearly _not on the same page as her. Izzy calmly added, "Plus, if Sora and Matt really did break up–" ("They did!" Mimi retorted) "–then I don't think Sora will want to jump into another relationship right away either, even if she does have feelings for Tai, too."

"You two don't know anything about true love!" Mimi complained. "_Trust _me; I know what I'm talking about! Sora practically came bawling to me that Tai's been lost and confused, kissing other girls like Jun, while poor Sora just wants to be with him–" ("Tai kissed Jun?" Joe inquired) "–We just need them to get together and confess to one another that they're each other's soulmates, and _voila, _Tai and Sora will live happily ever after and Matchmaker-Mimi will be satisfied making dreams come true once again!"

Izzy and Joe glanced at each other, unsure. It was true; the two were both more intelligent beyond their years, but neither of them knew the first thing about relationships. In fact, such a subject frightened them. Although Mimi could easily receive a Bachelors degree in Love and Relationships, the two boys knew just enough to sense that Mimi was presenting an alarmingly _bad _idea.

"Sooo..." Izzy began. "What do you need _us_ for?"

Mimi smiled slyly. "We're going to send them to the Digital World. I mean, how more romantic could that be? We're going to tell them, that the other has run away, and that he or she needs to find her or him. We'll have them stay there until the two confess! There's probably a romantic sunset or a moonlit night over there right now! Don't you two want our friends to be happy?"

"Er," Joe mumbled. "Why can't they just do that here in the Real World?"

"And why do we have to meddle into their business?" Izzy questioned.

Frowning, Mimi explained, "_Because, _my dear Joe and Izzy, it's not as fun or romantic as saying the two got together in the Digital World. Plus, they're too stubborn to do or say anything without my – er, _our _– help. I need you two to help set up the portal, and, Izzy, I know you can monitor them through their Digivices so there's no way something will go wrong. They can just pop right back into the Real World! Hahahaha! Oh, I am so excited!"

Again, Izzy and Joe looked at each other, both understanding the ridiculousness of the idea. Before they could protest, Mimi brought her phone to her ear, having already started the plan without their consent.

"Sora, you have to get here now. Tai's run away."

* * *

_The Present_

* * *

I had concluded that our friends were idiots.

Sora and I had wandered back into the forest, and we found an area that didn't reek and seemed tranquil enough to for us grace our presence. The sky had gone from pitch black to a nice midnight blue, with stars spread out above. We could hear the waterfall in the distance, and otherwise all around us it seemed as though everything had fallen into a slumber.

I rubbed a thick twig into a log furiously, while Sora gently blew a breath of air upon the patch of grass under the twig. After awhile, a small trail of smoke caught our attention from the log, and Sora blew air toward it harder until, finally, a spark began. Ladies and gentlemen, we made fire.

We eagerly threw more wood into the small flame, feeding it until it grew big enough to keep both of us warm. Still, we huddled close to each other.

Simply put, we were stuck in the Digital World. The netbook that Izzy had given Sora refused to turn on, which meant that Mimi was holding back Izzy from opening the portal for us to return to the Real World.

"She's playing with us," I said, cursing some more under my breath.

"I bet she's waiting for us to 'finishing talking,'" Sora replied. "Which is dumb because it's not like she'd know when we'd finish or not."

We both sat close. I had crossed my legs while she brought her knees to her chest, hugging them. Our elbows touched, and the contact alone had sent chills down my spine despite the warmth from the fire.

"So, what did she want us to talk about that we apparently couldn't just do in the Real World?" I asked Sora. "I have _no _idea what's going on, if you could fill me in. Why does Mimi have to make everything _so _dramatic? And I seriously thought I wouldn't have met anyone crazier than _Jun._"

She bit her lip, watching the flames intently and, almost, distractedly. I nudged her gently and she shrugged.

"It's stupid," she said, averting her gaze from mine. "I'll kill Mimi when we get back."

"I'll burn the remains and we'll never have to tell anyone."

She laughed, and we watched the fire cackle before us. I told her, "I was really worried about you. I don't know where Matt was, but I'm sure he'd have been worried, too. Sorry I couldn't bring him."

Sora frowned and let out a soft sigh, glancing over at me. "Matt and I broke up."

They... broke up? Sora and Matt were no longer together. No. Longer. Together. Distracted, I felt my lips tug upward as she added, "Well, I suppose I should just tell you now; Mimi wanted us to talk about that."

"How do you know?"

"Well, Mimi said something alone the lines of–" and she put on her best Mimi impersonation, high-pitched voice and batting eyelashes and all "–'Ooh, I'll get you and Taichi to talk about your break up _no matter what _so that you two can–" She stopped abruptly before finishing, blushing. "It's sort of obvious that _this _had something to do with it. So, yeah. We're not in a relationship anymore."

"I'm... sorry to hear that."

"Then why are you smiling?"

Immediately I frowned, hoping that she had not taken it the wrong way. I didn't even know why they broke up or who broke up with whom, so it was wrong for me to selfishly be happy that she was single. Here she was, telling me something that had not been easy for her, and I reacted without thinking again. It wasn't fair for me to feel this way if she and, perhaps, Matt were going through a difficult time. I felt like a–

"Jerk," she said playfully, poking me in the rib.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to smile," I said, though I didn't know how to explain why I was smiling. "I hope you're okay, Sora," I meekly stated instead.

"I'm alright. I had to end things with him. I couldn't be with him because there's... someone else," Sora said quietly. At this, I mentally scoffed at the irony, that there _would _be another guy that had beaten me to getting Sora. She couldn't have meant me, right? "But that someone else, has a someone else." Okay, definitely not me. I certainly didn't have a someone else.

"He doesn't know what he's missing," I encouraged her. Thinking I should lighten up the mood, I said, "You won't _believe _what happened to me today, by the way. It's gold."

"It's okay; I'd rather not hear it," Sora replied bluntly.

Surprised, I countered, "No, really, it's actually kind of a funny story–"

"Tai."

I stopped, looking at her, but her expression was so blank I couldn't read what she could have possibly been feeling.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I already know."

"Already know what?"

"That you and Jun are together."

The atmosphere tensed immensely. I froze, realizing that, somehow, news apparently traveled fast in the Real World, and that Sora had the idea all entirely and utterly wrong. I slapped myself mentally for letting what happened, happen. The repercussions came back to bite me in the ass. _Kari and Izzy were right; I should have told her myself sooner, _I thought.

I laughed to break the silence, because it was just that – hilarious_, _really. Sora looked at me, confused, awaiting an explanation, and after I was done chuckling, I told her what had _really _happened – how I had just _really _wanted a churro at the mall, how Sora's text distracted me from listening to Jun, and that I had accidentally become Jun's boyfriend for two hours. Sora, now laughing uncontrollably herself, had to wipe away the tears from giggling so much, and proceeded to explain that she had seen the two of us kissing after she and Matt had broken up. She assumed the worst and figured we were both dating. I couldn't help but sense she seemed _relieved _that I wasn't dating Jun.

"Stupid Tai!" She mocked, giving me a light punch in the arm. "You _so _would accidentally get a girlfriend like that."

"Geez, could you _be _more insensitive?" I said, pretending to be offended, and then joked, "I just got out of a relationship, too."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Tai."

"Then why are you smiling?"

Sora blushed, her usually pale complexion flushed into a light shade of pink. Immediately, she put her head on my shoulder to hide her facial expression, sighing. I gulped, thinking that, if there were any opportunity to _just tell her ..._ because the signs, the clues, the _feelings _were telling me, urging me to finally confess to her – because, perhaps, the girl who struck me with lightning had possibly been struck too.

I said hopefully, "Lucky for you that your someone else doesn't have a someone else?"

She pulled away from me, smiling, and repeated, "My someone else doesn't have a someone else. You must think I'm so stupid."

Under the stars, in the midst of this lonely night in a world we knew nearly nothing about, I sat close to my best friend - the only girl who I could imagine as something more than just that. I felt like I was dreaming, but the reality was that, finally, the odds were somehow in my favor and that right here, right now, the girl I had feelings for possibly felt the same about me.

"No, actually. I think you're beautiful in every way imaginable," I stated.

I leaned toward her, and she mirrored me, bringing her face close to my own. She closed her eyes halfway as I placed my hand gently on her cheek. She pulled her hand onto my arm, and I could _feel _her smile as I inched closer and closer to her lips, yearning for what I had always believed to hold a sweet taste – _closer and closer _–

And, I wish I could tell you that was how we got together - how we _should _have first kissed during what Mimi had hoped to be a romantic night to complete her wild plans, but, alas, life in the Digital World, just as the Real World, was cruel and unpredictable.

Before I could kiss her, we heard a loud _thud _– to describe it as a stomp of some sort would have been an understatement, from a creature we sure did not expect to be in the presence of. The trees above us shifted, and I pulled away, grabbing Sora by the hand, pulling her upward with me. The clashes from the creature indicated it was approaching us quickly, violently pushing away tree branches with what I presumed merciless claws.

"S-Sora..." I said nervously. She gripped my hand tighter. "RUN!"

We sprinted – and, as I moved as fast as my legs could take me, I took a second to glance back at what was chasing us.

Its open mouth bared razor sharp teeth as it attempted to snap at us. Sora screamed, holding my hand as she hugged the tablet close to her chest. Its figure resembled a large reptile – its body the color of blood, stained all over. It had dozens of forest-green scales running along its back, appearing to be covered in scratches and battle scars. He let out a loud _roar, _now trying to swipe at us with its hands, its claws alone appeared to be at least two feet long. When he missed, he nearly knocked over the neighboring trees, leaving deep scratches in their barks.

A Tyrannomon was pursuing us – angry and most likely held an insatiable appetite.

_Shit._

Continuing to run for our lives, I heaved as Sora and I hurdled over rocks and fallen branches in the dark, trying to not look back. The Tyrannomon continued to growl at us, just paces behind. Ahead, I saw a giant tree, its roots slightly glowing, standing out from the rest. _Our safe haven, _I thought.

"We're going to run into that tree, okay?!" I shouted to Sora.

"What?!"

"Just trust me!"

And, as we approached the tree, I closed my eyes, in case my plan didn't work, preparing for an impact. Suddenly, Sora's grip from my hand loosened and she let go as I heard her slide to the ground, causing the netbook to fall to the side. The netbook's screen lit up immediately upon impact to the ground, but it was too far away from us – too close to the Tyrannomon – to run toward. She landed hard, letting out a pained yelp. I nearly slipped as I stopped running, turning around to pull her under her arms and helped her up. "N-Netbook!" She sputtered out, pointing, and I shook my head.

"Forget it!" I said, and dragged her to the tree, leaving the netbook – our way home – behind.

I went headfirst _into _the tree, and Sora followed behind me. Instead of hitting its surface, we went through it, revealing that there was a room plastered fully of metal walls on the inside. It was one of those hologram trees Izzy and I had been in before when we first entered the Digital World; it took up the appearance of a tree on the outside, but inside, it was a sanctuary – a hidden room. Sora had probably forgotten these existed. You could tell which one of these trees were holograms, because they were often larger than normal and emitted a faint light. I hoped the Tyrannomon didn't know about this trick.

Sora heaved heavily next to me, then groaned in frustration, stomping the ground with her foot furiously. "I dropped the freaking netbook!"

"It's okay," I whispered quickly. "He'll leave. We'll be home soon–"

The Tyrannomon let out a monstrous snarl, and I knew it was somewhere in front of us. We heard it breathe in loudly, smelling the air – scouting for us. Its stomps shook the ground even from inside the tree. Sora grabbed me, and we shakily knelt to the ground on our knees, covering our mouths, hoping that it wouldn't sense us inside the hologram. _Don't. Make. A. Sound._

We waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And so did the Tyrannomon, knowing that we were somewhere nearby – just within grasps. We heard him begin to strike down the trees nearby us. At this point, Sora was crying, and I did my best to put on a brave face, but the truth was that I was scared shitless, and I wasn't sure how we would get out of this. The Tyrannomon, although not smart enough to have figured out we were hiding in a freaking fake, holographic tree, was still more sensible than I had thought, knowing that we were close. Most Digimon did not act out so violently, but this one was a stubborn, aggressive, and _hungry _one.

I cursed under my breath, angry that Agumon had not come by now.

It was easy to conclude that how we got here could easily be seen as my fault.

Had I listened to Jun, she never would have become my girlfriend for two hours (I swore if I ever got back I'd be on the Guinness Book of World Records for the most pathetic relationship ever). Sora still would have broken up with Matt, and she would have never seen me with Jun. She wouldn't have gone to Mimi for girl advice, and Mimi never would have come up with this bright idea of sending us into the Digital World to have a couples retreat, minus the couple.

As the Tyrannomon continued knocking down everything in its surroundings, searching for us, I fought back tears beginning to well up in my own eyes. I blinked them away, holding my breath. Sensing my agony, Sora held my hand, and gently whispered, "Tai, it's okay."

"I got us into this mess," I whispered back.

"_Mimi _got us into this mess," she corrected, and we both smiled at the silly revelation.

"TAI. SORA. WHERE ARE YOU?"

Confused, we perked up, but we couldn't see anything past the metal walls. We both looked at each other, sure that we had heard it–

"HELLO? WHY IS THE NETBOOK UPSIDE DOWN?"

Speaking of the devil, Mimi's voice, from the netbook, was obnoxiously sputtering our names from outside the tree. The Tyrannomon snarled, and immediately I stood up. _Fuck, he's going to go for the netbook, _I thought, and I had to act fast – _now. _Sora sat frozen on the ground, having the same epiphany. The Tyrannomon, we heard, took a large whiff of the netbook, unfamiliar with the object, and began to growl. We heard Mimi scream, and Joe and Izzy were yelling something in the background. I heard Kari shouting my name frantically. The Tyrannomon roared, and I could tell it was ready to bite into what it deemed a foreign, dangerous object.

"Sora, run to the netbook," I said quickly.

"W-What?"

"Just do it. Run to the netbook. Don't try going after me."

She hoisted herself up, grabbing me by the shoulders. "Don't be stupid," she hissed.

"Stupid Tai can do whatever he wants," I said, sticking out my tongue at her.

Then, I leaned in toward her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, and she blushed, rendered immobile and speechless.

"I really like you," I confessed, and my words came out rather naturally. "For the record, I would have told you this regardless of Mimi's meddling – and, if I get back, I would love to ask you if I could be your boyfriend for more than two hours, if you want."

I turned my heel, forcing her to let go of my shoulders. I gave her a quick nod, quickly emphasizing again, "Go. For. The. Netbook."

"Tai – NO!"

It was too late. I sprinted out of the tree, and saw the Tyrannomon was about to gulp up the netbook with one bite. "HEY, YA BIG UGLY DINOSAUR!" I screamed. It stopped mid-air, just inches away from biting the netbook, and turned to glare at me. "Think you could outrun me? Try me!"

And I sprinted. I ran faster than I had ever run in my life, even during a soccer game. He growled behind me, instantly forgetting about the netbook and started to chase after me. Maybe there were other ways of getting out of this situation, but, at the moment – having, for once, to act before thinking so I could quickly make a move – it seemed like the correct decision. All I knew was that any outcome with Sora returning safely home was the right one.

I tried to zigzag through the forest, but the Tyrannomon was faster than I thought – _But not faster than me, _I acknowledged. _The bigger they are, the harder they fall. _It was just another soccer game; only, my opponent was a digital dinosaur and my goal was nowhere to be seen. You know, totally the same. I was the ball, and I needed to go into the goal. Where could I go?

Turning around wasn't – and wouldn't – be an option; Sora was back there. Though, by now, I had hoped she was able to transport back to the Real World. I just needed Tyrannomon to be stalled long enough for her to get to the netbook. It didn't matter how long from now _I _would be able to go home. I trusted Izzy and Joe to guide or find me later. For now, I just needed to worry about staying alive.

I felt like I was aimlessly running in a maze, with invisible walls trapping me inside the forest. I began panting harder and harder, throat dry and dying from thirst, but pressed on. I was tired and certain that I had sprinted for at least a mile, and the Tyrannomon wasn't slowing down as I was. My knees grew weak, my nerves begging me to take a break.

I obliged, jumping between a bush and a tree, heaving as I wiped the sweat off my brow.

I closed my eyes, calculating my next move, but nothing came to me. All I could hear was my heart racing, the looming stomps of Tyrannomon approaching my hiding spot, and the waterfall just beyond me.

_The waterfall._

I took a quick peek beyond the trees, and found that I hard run far enough to reach the edge of the forest, just above the raging rivers below. The cliffs ran along the pathway, and the waterfall was gushing violently, crashing down perilously. Tyrannomon ran past me, nostrils up in the air, pondering where I had gone. He growled, his tail slithering like a snake. His claws dug into the ground, dragging limply as he moved slowly forward, examining the waterfall. _Here's my chance. _

I stirred slightly, breaking a twig underneath my heel, and he turned around, snapping his mouth in my direction.

_Now! _

I jumped up from the bush, almost losing my balance, but managed to hurdle toward his tail. Thankfully, since he was so big, he moved slower up close. I yelped as I did what most would probably think as stupid, mindless, but hopefully brave – I threw myself onto his lower back. He seethed, trying to claw at me, but his arms couldn't reach me. He thrashed about, infuriated. It felt like riding a mechanical bull. He panicked, trying to balance his footing while attempting to reach at me with his claws.

While holding on for dear life, I attempted to use his scales to climb up his back. I nervously glanced at the ground, observing that he was heading toward the edge of the waterfall as I had hoped. Determined, I continued to climb up, faster, although my hands were beginning to hurt from holding onto his sharp scales. Up, and up, and I urged myself to no longer look down.

I managed to climb up to his neck when one of his claws grazed the side of my back. It was enough to make me scream in pain, grimacing as I held on – then, I continued to climb.

When I got closer to the top of his head, I balled up my right hand into a fist – my weaker left arm wavered as I clung onto his neck – and slammed it into his right eye thrice with as much force as I could, grunting as I did it.

Tyrannomon winced in pain, shaking his head wildly. His head nodded in one violent motion downward, and I came crashing into the ground, landing hard on my left leg. I heard a _snap_, and I cried from the impact.

And, I don't know how I did it, considering my left leg was now quickly starting to lose feeling, but I supposed when adrenaline took over your body, it really did consider the fight or flight commands seriously. In this case, my body chose to fight. I lifted myself up with my right leg, hobbling over to the Tyrannomon, who was for a split second blinded by my attacks, and I threw my body against his as hard as I could, tackling him into the water as he lost balance.

The currents were so strong that we were immediately carried away with it.

He moved more quickly in the water than I did despite his size, and roared as the waterfall sent him down over the edge.

I didn't scream or shout or say a word – my head was bobbing up and down from the water. I desperately tried to swim, but the waves would overpower me whenever I tried to lift my arms. My left leg was nearly immobilized from the sharp pain and impact from falling off the Tyrannomon earlier. My mouth was full of water, and when I tried to spit it out to breathe, more water would clash into my face, through my gritted teeth and up my nostrils.

I was silent as I flew over the edge of the waterfall, and all I had hoped was that it wasn't high enough to kill me upon landing below.

_If I were to die, _I thought, _no one would hear me._

Everything afterward was a blur; I remembered feeling the wind blowing up against my body as I fell downward, but gravity proved to be the stronger force as it pushed me below with no mercy. Though it all happened in a matter of seconds, I felt like I was drifting for minutes.

Before I landed into the water, I could have sworn I heard the sound of a screeching Digivice, but when I glanced at my own for a brief second, all I saw was a blank, black screen.

I managed to ball up my body before impact; the cold water once again filled my nose and mouth, and I swallowed a great deal of it. The water stung the cut on my back and I winced. My body had hurt all over, but I was able to at least attempt to move my arms and my right leg. I tried to swim upward, to get up to the surface, but I was too weak to succeed, especially without both my legs. I felt as if I were being dragged downward, deeper and deeper into the water. I was running out of oxygen, and fast.

And, it was then that I realized that being the bearer of the Crest of Courage was not about trying or pretending to be brave when you're scared. It was okay to be frightened. It was about having the courage to _acknowledge _your most vulnerable moments – to be brave enough to do what you're afraid to do.

_I am going to die. Please, just let her be back home, _were my last thoughts as I began to sink lower into the dark abyss of the water, reaching out with my hand upward, into the void, as if something would pull me up. Nothing did.

Then, all at once, everything faded to black.

* * *

**Author's Note: **There is an obvious reason why I don't write action/adventure stories and this is why, haha. And y'all thought the last two chapters were dramatic! :p

Also, a disclaimer: I don't remember exactly how the kids can go to and from Real World to DigiWorld, so I made up the whole portal/laptop-netbook thing. Good thing this work of fiction is about digital monsters and anime characters – no need for logic ;)

_Next: _Ch. 10: The How - Part II (the _last chapter_ to conclude the story!), will be published 08/02/15, and, again, there will be an epilogue as a separate chapter after! :) Please review!


	10. The How, Part II

– Part II –

* * *

**The Aftermath. **

The construct of death, I concluded, often overlooked the fact that it was really nothing more than a silent slumber.

The idea of anything beyond that, really, was merely imagined, or, rather, speculated. They say when you're on the brink of death, your life flashes before your eyes. Like film on a screen, your memories rewind, from the sweet innocence of early childhood days to the egotistical times of dark adolescence. Death was merely a product of birth; unpredictable and bound to happen mercilessly. You were only given one life, and what you chose to do with it was up to you. Being on the verge of death would supposedly trigger the production of flashbacks, reminding you of both your accomplishments and mistakes growing up. From the beginning to the bitter end – until the moment when the sudden realization of your reality struck you: you're dying, and that was it. There were no more second chances, no eraser to hide your mistakes, and the inevitable, looming truth was that you were going to die.

That's what they say, at least.

I didn't find this to be true for several reasons:

1\. I didn't experience the beginnings. I only saw the memories of today: I woke up, messaged my friends, accidentally became more than friends with Jun, ate an amazing churro, broke up with supposed girlfriend, got tricked into going to the Digital World to "rescue" my best friend, confessed to said best friend that I liked her (after _how _long?), got attacked by and (successfully?) defeated a Tyrannomon with my bare hands, and fell off a waterfall to my doom.

Yeah, I didn't have time to think about anything before that; it had all happened too fast.

2\. All I could think about was the actual _dying. _I was fairly young – healthy, even though I ate badly enough to make nutritionists faint. Hey, I was actively playing sports, so a cheat day once in awhile didn't hurt a guy like me (okay, _every_ day was cheat day). I was your typical teenager; I wanted to have fun, I found girls attractive (though one in particular was all I cared for), I hated doing homework, but I was ambitious. I knew I had a future – until then. What would happen afterward? I didn't believe in Heaven or Hell. Unlike Digimon, humans didn't re-digitize all over again. There was no rebirth, no second chance. Though, even Digimon could meet a fateful end.

As I found myself sinking deeper and deeper into the water, I _knew _I was going to die, and that was just merely one figment of my mind that I wished to be a part of my imagination.

And 3. Her. All I could think about was her, as cliché as it sounded. Did she make it home safely? Did she follow me? Was she going to save me? No – she couldn't have. I was drowning. I was losing oxygen; I was, very simply put, actively dying. And so, as my eyes became more clouded with nothing but darkness, I kept telling myself, _She's home. She's safe. She's okay, _just so my last thoughts wouldn't assume the worst – so that I could die knowing that the one thing I did for her wasn't in vain.

Maybe death _was _supposed to be a flashback hurricane of old and new memories and I was just the odd one out.

Or, perhaps, none of this was true for me because I didn't die.

**The White Room.**

I woke up.

Blinking slowly, my eyes almost burned from how _bright _the room was. There was an open window to my left, welcoming rays from the sun seeping inside, but the white walls of the room itself, somehow, seemed to illuminate everything with a stronger light. My head throbbed. When I brought my right hand up to rub my forehead, I saw tubes wrapped and hooked into my skin, with an unknown fluid pumping inside from a machine into my body. I groggily hoisted myself up from the stiff mattress, realizing that I was covered with a faded wool blue blanket – the only thing that seemed to have some sort of color in here, and behind my head rested a rather large white, fluffy pillow. I sat up in a daze, trying to gather my thoughts to figure out where I was and what was happening.

I was in an unfamiliar, white room – empty, save for myself. It was fairly quiet, and I found myself hearing nothing but my own steady breaths and the constant beeping of the monitor next to me.

I was wearing a gown, and as I slid my body upward from the bed, I felt my bare back tingle as a chill was sent down my spine. Wearily, I grabbed the blanket and moved it to the side, off of my body, chuckling slightly at the sight revealed underneath:

My right leg was perfectly fine, albeit with a few minor bruises and abrasions here and there. I wiggled my toes, waving my foot from side to side. My left leg, however, was completely enclosed in a hard, white cast, covering nearly everything from the knee down, except for my toes which were just barely peeking out from the end of the cast.

Finally, it had hit me: I lived.

**The Visitors.**

_(Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability) _

I immediately found out everything regarding my condition and what had happened after the "incident" when, moments after I woke up, I received my first visitors at the hospital: Mimi, Izzy, and Joe. Well, actually I found out about twenty minutes after they first came in, because Mimi was bawling during the entire visit and it was really quite hard to get her to stop (which she didn't). I thought I would be angry upon seeing her, but, after having almost died, I was just glad I was able to see my friends, even though I wasn't entirely all there – mentally and physically.

"I – AM – SO – SORRY – I –" she hiccuped, then blew her nose into a pink tissue, "–DIDN'T – THINK – THIS – WOULD – HAPPEN!"

Izzy and Joe also shared guilty looks on their faces, averting their gazes toward the ground. "We're so sorry, Tai," Izzy said. Joe nodded, agreeing, "We tried so hard to get into contact with you, but the netbook from your end didn't turn on until it was too late. We couldn't contact Agumon and the others until you almost–" He didn't finish, but I knew where he was going with the statement.

"It's okay, guys," I said, smiling. Mimi sniffed in louder, continuing to cry.

"IT'S – ALL – MY – FAULT!" she yelped, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks as she sobbed. The two boys nodded, agreeing with her, and I couldn't help but laugh. She continued, finally ceasing to yell, since a nurse poked her head into the room and shushed her, "I just wanted you two to get together sooo badly! Now your beautiful leg is broken!"

"Actually, it's not _entirely_ broken," Joe quipped. "The tibia has a minor fracture, and although it'll take about eight weeks to heal, it could have been a _lot_ worse."

"Wow, it could have been _worse_?" I asked. Joe nodded. "Because it felt like hell when I landed on it."

"What happened over there?" Izzy inquired.

"_This _one over here," I jokingly said, referring to Mimi, who immediately formed tears in her eyes again, "Apparently didn't seem to know that you guys sent us to some type of Forbidden Forest. This Tyrannomon literally came out of nowhere and just started chasing after us. I ended up punching him in the eye and tackling him into a waterfall to get him away from the netbook. I was drowning, and then I woke up here. That's all I remember. Oh, stop crying, Mimi – it's alright!"

"You did all of that by yourself?" Joe asked, impressed.

I laughed, replying, "Apparently. So what did you guys tell the doctor when I came to the hospital?"

"Joe's family consists of most of the management at this facility," Izzy explained. "All we had to tell them was that you had a really intense soccer game that had gone wrong."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "No way. They _believed _you? And what about the scratch on my back?"

"Of course not, " Joe said. "We're just incredibly lucky my family works here. I'm sure a police investigation would have been conducted if we had gone to any other hospital. The scratch on your back isn't that deep – it looks like the Tyrannomon just grazed it – so we told them that you also got attacked by a very large, angry cat. Surprisingly, your mother believed it when she was here earlier, but I think she was just so relieved that you didn't have any worse injuries."

I groaned, slapping my palm to my face. "Incredible," I muttered, tone dripping in sarcasm.

"We couldn't just tell them you got attacked by a dinosaur!" Izzy said defensively.

"I mean, at least say I got attacked by a _panda._"

"I'M SO SORRY, TAICHI!" Mimi exclaimed suddenly. The same nurse came back into the room to shush her again. She buried her head into her hands, and I lifted my own to pull her fingers to the side. She looked at me hopefully.

"I know you didn't mean for this to happen. I'm alive, and that's all that matters," I reassured her. I slyly added, "I'll forgive you if you do just one thing for me, though. You can't ask any questions about it either."

She sniffed, and looked at me hopefully, "Oh, anything, Taichi. I feel just _awful _about this whole thing."

"You have to go to the Digital World and kiss a Numemon for me."

Mimi scoffed, sticking her nose up in the air and crossed her arms. "That is disgusting!" Then, she remarked, "Your friendship isn't worth that much to me!"

"I almost diiied," I sung playfully. She tried to sputter out some words, but to no avail. She batted her eyelashes at me, then winked. "You'll forget about this tomorrow."

"I won't."

She glared at me, and I knew she silently obliged. Izzy and Joe gave me approving looks. Changing the subject, as if I were to forget about the deal in the next ten seconds, she blurted out excitedly, "You _must _tell me – did you and Sora get together?" and her eyes sparkled with joy. We all groaned, and Izzy and Joe dragged her out of the room, all while she yelped that she "_had _to know." I shook my head and chuckled to myself, but I knew that, deep down, she sincerely just wanted Sora to be happy.

(_Hope and Light)_

"YOU LITTLE PUNK!"

"Taichi!"

"DON'T YOU LAY A FINGER ON MY LITTLE SISTER!"

"_Taichi!"_

"I'm sorry, Tai! I wanted to ask for your permission–"

"You don't need permission from my brother!"

"YES, YOU DO!"

"TAICHI MURIEL KAMIYA!"

_(Friendship)_

He slipped into the room silently, shutting the door gently behind him, grasping a black guitar case in his hand. He stared at me from a distance first, unsure if his presence was welcomed. I lifted my hand, motioning for him to come. He grabbed the chair near the bedside and pulled it up, gracefully moving some of his precious blonde locks out of his eyes. He set the guitar case against the wall, then clasped his hands together to his mouth, waiting. He bent forward, placing his arms on his knees. His eyes appeared weary.

"You're not going to serenade me?" I asked, glancing at his guitar.

"I only do that for those who've broken both legs," Matt riposted. "I just came from band practice, stupid."

"Gee, well, then give me a moment while I go jump out that window," I said, pretending to climb over the edge of the bed. Seeing as how he was only slightly amused by my joke, I added, "Thanks for stopping by to see me."

"No need to thank me. You'd do the same for me," he replied, now shifting his posture and sitting back straight against the chair, hands resting on the arm rests.

Neither of us said anything for a moment. I sighed softly, shifting my gaze toward my cast, just now feeling the uncomfortable weight of it. I wondered if I would be able to play soccer the same way again, or if I would even be able to run as freely as I used to. I guess I was just lucky to have survived the whole situation.

"They told me what happened," Matt said, finally.

"Which version, the one where I was attacked by a Tyrannomon, or the one where I was attacked by a cat?"

"The former, though the latter wouldn't have surprised me."

We laughed. I hadn't remembered the last time I was able to talk to Matt as equals. As we grew older, for some reason, we grew distant, although we still considered each other best friends. It had always been the case in which we found each other as rivals, which was strange because there was no competition to begin with; really, I think it was our insecurities about ourselves that made up the whole rivalry thing. Almost by instinct, it seemed nearly natural for us to just try to be better than the other – perhaps because we were just so different from one another.

Except, we apparently had the same taste in girls.

"Thanks for saving her," he said.

"I would've done it if it were anyone else," I explained.

He nodded his head slowly, agreeing, then mumbled, "Well, thanks, anyway."

More silence – this time, awkward silence; simply, the worst kind.

"You told me to talk to her that one time, a long time ago, remember?" I asked suddenly. Reminiscing, he continued to nod his head. "Are you... mad at me?"

Matt folded his arms, chuckling softly. "I've been asked that quite a bit lately, and the honest answer is no, because I'm more mad at myself than anything, but I'm trying to accept things the way they are."

"I'm not going to pursue her," I stated firmly. He stared at me. I added, "Just yet."

"What? Why?"

I paused. "Because, when we were trapped in the Digital World, she was in a moment of vulnerability. I was, too. I just want to make sure it's authentic. I've been stuck in this room for a few hours, and I thought about it, and I'd like my next move to be the right one. Your emotions get messed up when you get out of a relationship, no matter whose side it is. You've both dated for awhile. I can't just jump in. I just want her to be certain because it's a huge decision. We've been friends forever."

He stared at me, and it appeared as though he was contemplating my words, trying to grasp them. He didn't follow, as he meekly said, "She likes you a lot. Trust me – that, you don't have to worry about."

"I don't doubt that; I'm quite charming," I joked, and he pretended to get up from the chair to leave, scoffing at my comment, but smirked. "No, really, though," I continued. "I just don't think it's right to rush into things. I want to give it some time. Plus, I'm crippled so I can't really go out much after this, anyway. Our dates would consist of sitting around on the couch, doing a whole lot of nothing."

"You know, I was really upset at the idea of you dating her, but now I'm finding myself to be annoyed that you're _not _going to date her after all," he confessed, confused.

"I just want to wait. The right time to ask her will come..." I trailed off. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Matt. She really did like you too, you know. Thanks... for being understanding. I couldn't be as understanding if I tried."

He shrugged. "I'll get over it. I wouldn't want to waste her time if she didn't feel the same way about me. We'd have ended up like my parents. I should have known you had liked her, too."

"All's fair in love and war," I said. "You're way too mature for your age, _Yamato_."

"Maybe it's because I don't wear goggles around my neck all day like a child, _Taichi_."

"Shut up."

Matt rolled his eyes, smiling, then stood up to grab his guitar case by its handle. He ambled almost stealthily to the door, grabbing its knob, but turned around to face me one more time before taking his leave. He said quietly, "I'm still trying to get over the break up. I know a part of you just wants to wait to ask her out because of me, largely. Even I have to admit if there is anyone who is perfect for her, it's you."

Before he could walk away, I called out, "Don't worry. I'm waiting for my own sake, ya self-centered brat."

He smirked before shutting the door behind him.

_(Love)_

She brought flowers for me, all handpicked by hers truly.

When she slipped into the room, she looked flustered, as if having been in a rush. Upon finally seeing me, her shoulders relaxed. She was wearing a knee-length dress I had never seen her wear before, probably because every single dress she owned was tucked away in the back of her closet, but it looked flattering on her – a sea green dress with white dandelions adorned all over. When she approached my bed, she gently put her hand on my cast, lowering her eyes guiltily as the sudden realization that what she had heard about me was true – that I really had broken part of my leg, and the reality was that it was because I did it for her. She traced her fingers on the cast from my toes to my knees, feeling the rough texture, then sat down where Matt had been just an hour ago.

"I'm sorry it took me awhile to get here," she said. "It took me longer than I had expected to pick out these flowers, and then my mom wanted to come with me, yada yada yada. Anyway, hi."

"Who are you?" I asked.

Shocked, her eyes widened, and her body shook slightly. She gripped the flower arrangement around her hands tighter. "W-What?"

"Are you the nurse?"

"Y-You don't remember me, Tai?"

"Of course I do, Sora. I'm just messing with you."

Furious, Sora stood up immediately from the chair, giving me a shove in the most gentle yet angry way possible. "YOU JERK, TAICHI KAMIYA!"

"I'm sorry! It was too hard to resist!" I said, laughing. "It'll be funny tomorrow."

"I don't think so," she replied, glaring at me.

"I'm still cute though, right?"

"Hardly."

"We're still best friends, right?"

She sighed loudly, feigning annoyance. "I promised you I'd be your partner forever, didn't I?"

Then, she set the flowers on the floor, and leaned over my bed to give me a hug. It was a bit of an awkward hug; she had to bend over the bed at an angle, and I had to twist my upper body since I couldn't lean all the way to the side, but it was nice, it was safe, and it just felt like _home. _"What happened?" I whispered against her ear. "Did you come back to save me?"

Sora pulled away, and perched herself onto the side of the bed, hands folded politely on her lap. "I couldn't just leave you behind. It took me a minute to process what was happening, but I went for the netbook, and then took off after you. By the time I did that, though, you and Tyrannomon had run off so far away. I screamed for Izzy and Joe to contact Biyomon, and, luckily, they were already on it. I ran after you but when I finally reached you, I saw you falling off of the waterfall."

She bit her lip, recalling the events. "I can't get that image out of my mind."

I pulled her hand toward me, intertwining my fingers with hers. "You saved me," I stated, grinning. She shook her head.

"_You _saved us. If you hadn't distracted Tyrannomon, he would've destroyed our only way back home, and who knows what would've happened to us before Izzy and Joe could figure out a different way to get us back to the Real World. Biyomon had come on time and digivolved. We were able to pull you out before... You know. Lucky for you we were able to be your little deus ex machina, huh? Hah... I've never been so happy to be by your side, Tai."

There were two types of silences:

1\. The awkward kind. The dreaded, awkward silence. The kind you often have with Matt because _he's _so damn dry sometimes. You'd want to pull your hair out because the silence is so deafening that you'd like to do anything you can to discreetly get out of the situation but you simply can't. Make a noise – something, anything, to get rid of the silence.

And then there's 2. The loud kind. Yes, ironically, the _loud _type of _silence. _The type of silence where you really don't have to say anything; you've such a connection with a person that you can just _feel _what they're thinking. It's a strong kind of bond that took over. A silence so loud, that sometimes, it spoke louder than words.

I gripped her hand tighter, thinking about how I just wanted to ask her out now, to hold her in my arms and to not have to let go.

But it wasn't the right time nor the right place. It would have to wait.

Suddenly, she loosened her grip on my hand, bending over the bedside to grab the flower arrangements. She set them on her lap, and I looked in awe at the wide assortment of colors. It had a sweet aroma, and instantly I knew what she had been talking about when she meant that it took her awhile to handpick the flowers. I knew nothing about flowers, but I knew enough to tell that each one was a different type with a different meaning, which was why people often went to florists to get help with these things.

"I guess working at a flower shop has its perks," she said with a wink. She pointed at one of them. "These little white ones with the small black dots are pear blossoms. I like them because they blend in with lots of arrangements easily. They're supposed to mean 'lasting friendship.'"

She pointed to another. "These funny looking, long, pink ones are cedar flowers. They represent 'strength' – not that you really need any after punching a giant dinosaur."

I reached over to gently touch the petals, putting my index finger beneath some dainty, true blue flowers in the shape of stars, with what looked like a yellow sun in the center, and white rays sprouting from it. It was vivid and lively; petite and beautiful. "And these?" I asked.

She stared at the flowers intently, and then reached over for my arm, gently rubbing her fingers against my skin. "Those are forget-me-not's. They have a special meaning, but I'll tell you another day," she said coyly.

Groaning, I poked her in the rib, teasing her, "You are evil. I'm injured! Tell me!"

"I like you," she said abruptly, blushing slightly.

"You like me?" I echoed, lips curling upward.

"I like you," she repeated firmly.

"Is that the meaning of the flowers, or...?"

"No, actually. That, you'll have to wait to hear another day."

I set the flowers on other side of my bed and straightened myself up. "You are _pure _evil, but you're lucky I like you, too. I'm just warning you now, though, you're going to have to wait until you hear the words, 'Will you be my girlfriend?' just a bit longer too, then."

She laughed, bringing her hand to her mouth, then stopped when she realized I was being serious, face solemn. I teased, "You look disappointed."

Shrugging, she smiled and said, "I can't say I'm not. Why?"

"Good things come to those who wait," I answered, repeating the words she had said to me not too long ago.

She looked at me suspiciously, and like one of our moments where we could just read each others' minds, where we could simply just _trust _the other person without questioning it, she replied, "Then wait I shall."

**The Autographs.**

By the time I was discharged from the hospital, my cast had been covered with messages all over:

_"Get better soon, big brother!"_  
(in pink, of course) "_I'M SORRY, I LUV U! PLZ FORGIVE ME, TAICHI!" _  
_"Please don't hate me. Wishing you a speedy recovery."_  
_"It was Mimi's idea"_  
_"What Izzy said"_  
_"Hope all goes well for you from here on out. I know you'll recover soon."__  
__"Thank you for everything. Love, S"_

One, in particular, was my favorite.

**The Recovery.**

_(The First and Second Weeks)_

Torture. It was absolute, utter _torture. _

I pressed the buttons of the remote repeatedly, flipping through the channels of the television. Nothing. Luckily, since we were on spring break, I didn't have to worry about missing school while adjusting to the lack of a functioning left leg (not that, that was something I'd worry about, anyway). My mother wanted me to stay home and "take it easy" for the first two weeks since leaving the hospital. I protested, saying that I could walk on crutches just fine (I didn't want to be pushed around in a wheelchair every time I got up), but whatever mother says, goes.

I never realized how much I was on the go, constantly out and about. I was one to never really sit still all the time; I always had something to do, somewhere to be. Being confined in one, tiny flat felt almost like a prison to me. Exaggerating, of course – but still.

Kari plopped herself onto the couch, folding her legs up, and leaned on the arm rest. I groaned, continuing to aggressively change the channels.

"Tai, you've literally been home for only _three hours_ since leaving the hospital," Kari pointed out, noting my blatant boredom.

Closing my eyes, I hit my head against the back of the cushions, frustrated. "Mom apparently wants me to keep away from the outside world so I don't end up breaking the other leg."

"It's just for the first week. Next week, we can go out a bit, plus school will get stuff off your mind. Besides, I have a friend coming over to keep you entertained," she said, beaming at me.

"It better not be T-Loser..."

"It's T.K., and you used to think of him as a little brother!"

"Right, so it's incest, so you better stop dating him."

"Be reasonable, dummy."

The doorbell rang, and Kari hastily stood up from the couch and ran to answer it. _Great, _I thought. _Now I get to third wheel at home with nothing to watch. _I heard chatter from the doorway, and didn't hear the familiar voice from that little punk T-Acronyms-Aren't-Even-Cool-K. Curious, I grabbed the crutches from the side of the couch, and hobbled over to the front. I winced from how much the crutches dug into my underarms. This was going to be a long eight weeks.

When I turned around the corner, I found myself surprised to see that it was Sora who had stopped by. Blushing, I gave her a little wave with the bottom of my right crutch.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"I told you I invited a friend over," Kari said with a wink, then turned around to go to the kitchen.

Sora smiled. "I brought some movies we could watch and popcorn to snack on."

Before I could thank her, she walked past me, and I unsteadily followed her as she made herself comfortable on our couch. "You didn't have to come," I told Sora, feeling as though she felt obligated to be here. She waved her hand, brushing off my comment.

"Do you want me to leave?" she inquired.

"No. What are we watching first?"

_(The Third Week)_

Being temporarily handicapped had its perks.

On the first day of freedom (meaning, my first day out of my apparent house arrest and weekend from going back to school after spring break), Sora insisted on us going to Tokyo Disneyland. We hadn't been there in a few years, and she figured taking me to the supposed Happiest Place on Earth would help me get my mind off of things. It certainly worked since I felt like a kid all over again. Better yet, it was a her and me, and me and her, all day kind of deal, so I was, to say the least, down for it. No complaints here.

Unfortunately, since there was so much walking involved being at the park, I had to be pushed around in a wheelchair. They had this nice, accommodating thing for those with disabilities, though – we were able to get on the rides through a shorter line for those with handicaps. I never thought I'd be eligible for the line, but, hey, shorter wait times? Not too shabby.

I felt bad, though, for having Sora do so much walking and wheeling me around, but she never whined once. By evening, we were finally getting ready to watch the fireworks show before leaving for the day.

"So was this a date, Sora Takenouchi? Were you trying to woo me?" I teased.

"No, I was just using you as an excuse to get on the rides without waiting," she joked, bonking me on the head lightly from behind as she pushed me in the wheelchair.

"Hm, because it _really _seems like you're trying to win me over," I said, as I snapped a picture of Mickey Mouse passing by.

"Hah. Well, is it working?"

"You don't even have to try."

"Taichi Kamiya, since when were _you _such a flirt?" she said, turning the wheelchair around to have me face her. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Maybe you just haven't noticed that I'm a natural. Hey, let's go over there." I pointed at a tree that was decorated with swirls of lights around its trunk. She wheeled me over to a bench, so when she sat down, we met at the eye level. We were now facing the castle, and the horizon beyond it reminded me of how lucky I was to be _present. _

When the show finally began, we were surprised at how loud the rumbles of the fireworks were, but gazed in awe as they burst in the air, emitting different colors and shapes – a true fantasy in the night sky.

I looked at her, and smiled as I saw the lights reflect against her glowing eyes; she was completely immersed, mouthing the words of the songs to herself.

_Simply breathtaking, _I thought – and I wasn't referring to the fireworks.

_(The Fourth Week)_

"Are you okay?"

My fingers were intertwined, and I had been quiet for some time without noticing until she had spoken. We sat on a bench outside of a restaurant after (somewhat) mutually agreeing to meet Kari and – ugh – _T-Freaking-K _here. Whether or not this was a good idea had been the biggest question of the day.

Okay, okay. I _liked _T-Punk. Having practically grown up with the kid, I really couldn't help but think of him as a little brother, but the word 'brother' had lost all meaning when I found out my own flesh and blood had been dating the very person I had thought of as family; therefore, it was _clearly _incest, I had tried to convince myself, though the better part of me knew I was trying to just avoid the awful truth of how my kid sister was dating my almost-kid brother. I certainly had not imagined him becoming family in the in-law sense, if ever.

"I can't believe T-Dork is dating _Kari."_

"Really? I can't believe they didn't start dating years ago. You do know it's been almost a month since they've started to go out, right?" Sora questioned, surprised.

"Don't remind me. They better not get married."

She flicked my cast with her fingers, and I swatted her hand away. "Hey, injured person here!" I whined, grinning, but she frowned in return.

Who could win? I knew I was being unreasonable. I knew I was, to a great extent, being selfish. Hell, I knew I already lost the battle, but it didn't mean that it was wrong for being so overprotective of Kari. I was proud to be a part of the Kamiya family, and the idea of letting her go meant that she was slowly but surely growing up, and I wasn't so sure I liked the thought.

"You're thinking ahead of yourself, Stupid Tai," Sora said bluntly. She rose up from the bench, taking a stance in front of me, arms akimbo. "Why is this _really _bothering you?"

I put a hand on my left crutch, slowly rubbing the smooth, cold metal rods, sighing. "I guess I'm just not ready to see her fly out of the nest."

"Change doesn't always have to be a bad thing, right? That big brother bird named Tai will still be flying in the same sky as her whether she wants him to or not. You wouldn't, and I'm sure _couldn't, _imagine her being with anyone else."

I hated being wrong when I should have known Sora had always been the more sensible one between the two of us, but she had a point and I supposed that, sometimes, it really just takes someone else saying the truth you've been trying to avoid to really have it speak to you logically. Mimicking my thoughts, I stated aloud, "I hate how you're always right."

She winked. "Not always."

Then, she leaned down to kiss me on the forehead – simple and sweet, and a tad too quick for my liking.

I let out a soft chuckle. "What was that for?"

"Returning the favor. You kissed me before running to distract Tyrannonmon, remember?"

"Right. Well, actually, I kissed you on the cheek–" and I pointed to mine, "–So can you do it again in the right place this time? You know, for consistency, and maybe because I liked it."

Sora threw a soft punch on my shoulder as I started to laugh. She joked, "Cheek kisses, et cetera, are reserved for boyfriends only. Oh, here they come."

With a light push from the ground, I lifted myself up from the bench as Sora helped me stabilize. Kari and T-Jerk walked together silently, and his head hung down, hands in his pockets, eyes focused on the ground and avoiding mine. I glanced at Sora, who gave me a reassuring nod, and I hobbled over to the two. Kari smiled softly, and gave Sora a hug, greeting her enthusiastically. T-Poop looked up slightly, smiling – and it was amazing to just now realize how much he had matured over the years and I had to give him some credit from going to a crybaby to someone who was probably light years ahead of my time. I approached him as he meekly said hello to both of us, and gave him a hug. His head jerked up, eyes widening, and I could feel reluctant and confused stares from Kari and Sora. I pulled away and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. I could at least try to adjust to the change.

"Hi, T.K."

_(The Fifth Week)_

Simply put, she had always been a lover of words.

During the fifth week of My-Life-As-An-Almost-Pegleg (coming to a theater near you), I had stayed home – on a _Saturday, _mind you – doing the one thing I would normally have loathed on a gloriously sunny day in the outside world: read. And, it wasn't just reading for school or anything of the sort (though I probably should have been doing so, but, hey, the fact that I was reading on an actual, real-life weekend day was blasphemous even to me); I was actually reading for – dare I say? – _fun. _Weird. I mean, who does that nowadays? The idea baffled me, but here I was doing it.

I'm a man of nature, so, naturally, I had gone outside my flat's balcony, dragging one of our kitchen table chairs along with me under one arm and using the other for my crutch and stuck it by the shaded area outside. I sat down, reaching over the smooth railing to feel the scorches of the sun with the traces of my finger. The remnants of spring was fading and summer was coming just around the corner. I couldn't wait, primarily because, by then, the cast would be off, and secondarily because summer was probably my favorite season of the year.

To say Sora had _insisted _that I read one of her favorite books due to my leg's confinement was an understatement; though, I had to give her some credit for trying to find ways of keeping me entertained when I was stuck at home. The book was called _East of Eden, _written by some guy named John Steinbeck, an American author who apparently had a knack for writing tragedies because by the time I started reading it, I couldn't put the book down, particularly because a character named Cathy in the novel had to be more evil than any Digimon I've ever encountered and I just had to know what was going to happen next to the poor characters around her.

It was weird because Sora had always been good at literature – even in grade school, but I never really took it into account until recently. I remembered distinctly, despite it being so long ago, complaining to Sora about all that crap with symbolism or motifs or whatever, and she was simply just fascinated by it all.

"It's _so _redundant," I recalled sixth-grade me, at the time, whining. "Who _cares _about the 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' of these stories they force us to read!", referring to those damned worksheets teachers always made us do to break down every little part of the story. "Geez! And 'the how' just totally kills the whole 'w' streak. Why not call it the 'whence' to just be consistent?"

Sixth-grade Sora, who wasn't all too different from Present-Day Sora, was not amused. "Probably because nobody uses the word 'whence' anymore, and _probably _because all of those minimal factors complete the whole of the story."

"Yeah, but do all stories need to be analyzed for every... single... detail?"

"No, but it sure does help paint a picture of what leads to your 'whence.'"

Present Me was still trying to grasp the concept of halfway decent storytelling, but I had a ways to go. I mean, if someday I were to reiterate the adventures I've had in the Digital World, or even the apparent epic Sora and I have gone through, I'd have to tell it right. When I reached a third of the way into the book, I wedged my Digivice into the folds, acting as a makeshift bookmark, and I limped over to the living room counter, grabbing my cellphone.

"Hi, Goggle Dork," Sora said upon answering the phone. "What's up?"

"Why is Cathy such an evil bitch?"

She laughed. "Enjoying the book I let you borrow?"

"Did you do this to me because I used to have a crush on that hot French girl named Catherine? Cathy, Catherine. The resemblance is uncanny and now I hate you because I don't think I can look at another Cathy or Catherine or Catherella the same way again."

I could practically see her rolling her eyes and I grinned. "You don't hate me," Sora interjected. She paused. "The hell kind of name is Catherella?"

"Do I sense jealously?"

"Do I sense idiocy?"

"Aw, Sora, don't be mean!"

"I might be a tiny bit."

"A tiny bit what, hm?"

"Just finish the damn book, Kamiya!"

_(The Sixth and Seventh Weeks)_

**goggles the second: **hey, tai, so i was reading this magazine in the bathroom and i thought of you  
**goggles x: **... you sick bastard  
**goggles the second: **god no, not like that, geez! You're gross.  
**goggles x: **oh, okay. i was kind of flattered but mostly weirded out. anyway, go on so i don't have to assume anything.  
**goggles the second: **so, get this, i was on the can and read one of Jun's lame-o magazines to pass time and there's this article about whether or not you can tell your significant other is meant for you  
**goggles x: **davis?  
**goggles the second: **yes?  
**goggles x: **okay, good. just making sure i wasn't talking to Mimi.  
**goggles the second: **asshole, i'm trying to make sure you're making the right call with Sora. anyway, i'll e-mail you the instructions on how to do so and you call me when you get the results, okay?!  
**goggles x: **i am SO glad i was the first person you thought of while reading a love magazine in the bathroom.

–_One Week Later_–

"Hi, Tai – um, why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?"

I was leaning against the wall, arms folded, weight all in my right leg since my left was rendered useless, my hair – well, I was going to say slicked back, but the gel wasn't strong enough to hold back my hair so some of it was still struggling to stay back down while the majority of it was sticking up in its usual untidy self. I was cursing at myself mentally for going through with Davis' stupid idea (mostly because he had threatened me with, "You betrayed me by dating my sister so now you have to do this for me, and, really, doing this is mostly just for your own sake so I'm being a good friend!"), but I was a bit curious as to what her reaction would be, and whether or not Davis' voodoo love magazine proved to be telling the truth.

"'Cause I get so hot being around you." I cringed after each and every syllable, believe me. I lowered my sunglasses with a finger, trying to give her a smoldering look.

She looked at me suspiciously, eyeing me up and down, then proceeded to speak slowly, "Um... Okay. So... How's the leg?"

"Itchy – itchy as _hell _– but doin' better. One more week to go." Oh, crap, I was supposed to stay in-character. "I mean, ya know. Now that you're here, it's... cool. You make everything _fiiine._"

"Okay, what the crap is going on?" Sora asked.

I immediately took off the sunglasses and threw them on the table, giving in. Davis couldn't get mad at me for not following through with the plan because I technically didn't betray him, for one thing, and I didn't think the plan was going to benefit either of us. Also, the fact was that I looked like a total tool for wearing sunglasses indoors. "Alright, I guess the jig is up," I said.

And so I explained to her what I was supposed to do, for the sake of my reputation and for the sake of her own sanity. For a moment, she paused, and then she slyly stated, "Two can play at that game. I think I'll be visiting a certain Motomiya after we hang out."

Later in the evening, I received a frantic phone call from Davis.

"_Dude," _he said urgently. "I... Something _weird _just happened. You can't get mad at me."

I smirked. "What?"

"So, Sora comes over – yeah, bizarre, I know – to see _me. _And she's wearing these sunglasses and she comes in and says, 'What's up, dude?' and I'm, like, 'Um, nothing much?' and she's, like, 'You mind if I wear these sunglasses inside?' and I'm, like, 'I don't mind,' and then she says, 'Good, 'cause you must be the sun, 'cause the closer I get to you, the hotter you become.' LIKE, WHAT THE HELL?"

I burst out laughing, then feigned confusion once Davis started blubbering out that this was a 'serious issue.' "_Wow, _I wonder what's gotten into her."

"That's not even the worst of it. She must've read the magazine I was telling you about last week because she was doing all of the steps! I think she's into me, dude. She even did the chicken dance before she left, which is an essential sign that the magazine stated would be the ultimate indicator that you've found your soulmate. She was trying to see if I was into her! See, I _told _you you should've done all of that stuff to her last week. You're too late, man!"

"Am I?" I interjected, lips still curled into a smile.

"Yeah! Now I guess I've gotta go after her. How should I ask her out?"

"Davis, don't be stupid."

"She did the chicken dance for me!"

"I repeat, Davis, don't be stupid."

"You're just jealous she's into me!"

_(The Last Week)_

It had been two months since I'd fractured part of my leg.

Two months since I had accidentally become Jun's boyfriend, got tricked into going to the Digital World to "save" my best friend, almost got killed by a Tyrannomon, and had the chance to confess to said best friend that I liked her. A lot. Two months since I had kissed her on the cheek for just a split second, feeling my lips brush up against her soft, pale skin, and two months since I hadn't been able to stop thinking about that moment.

Sixty days, eight weeks, two months. I won't get into the seconds, minutes, and hours – you get the picture.

And here I was thinking that I didn't have the patience for anything, let alone ask out my best friend who I had finally been able to realize returned the same feelings for me. After all this time, my perception couldn't look at anything besides the bigger picture, but it wasn't until recently I looked at things in its minuscule detail – maybe that's why it took so long for me to see that Sora was looking at me the same way I was looking at her.

We had returned to the white room, and I was anxiously waiting beside her, ready to take off this damned cast.

"So," I said to her, flashing a grin.

"So," she echoed, calmly scanning the room.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"What's the meaning of those forget-me-not's?"

She rolled her eyes, smirking. "Still on your mind?"

I pretended to gasp dramatically. "If it wasn't, its name would've lost its purpose. Can't forget forget-me-not's."

"Stand up."

Confused, I raised an eyebrow at her, and she waved her hands repeatedly in an up-and-down motion. I used my right crutch to hoist myself up from the chair, and she flashed me a grin before walking behind me. I tried to turn around, but she pushed my head forward with her palm, and I felt a slight rush of air as she quickly bent down below to the level of my knees. "You're acting real sketchy," I pointed out. She shushed me as I heard the squeaky scribbles, and I realized she was writing something on my cast. "Okay, that's not fair. You very well know that's a blind spot!"

I heard the twist of a cap slide onto her pen with a _pop _and she stood up, returning to face me and pushed me down gently into my chair by lowering her hands onto my shoulders. I groaned, joking, "Okay, _Master_," and she rolled her eyes again.

"There," she said matter-of-factly. "Now you can either take a peak at it after they slice off your cast, or you can Google it like you could've done two months ago. I won't say it out loud because I'll never hear the end of it from you and you're not allowed to ask any more questions. Capisce?"

"Capisce, as if I have any other choice," I retorted, poking the front of her shoe with my crutch.

She smiled confidently, satisfied that I wouldn't have to ask her about the flowers any further. Changing the subject, she asked, "So, you seem to be much more accepting of Kari and T.K. being together."

I smirked, shrugging. "Well, you were right. I can't see her with anyone else, and as much as I hate to admit it, he treats her like a princess. It's absolutely disgusting." I shuddered at the thought as she giggled to herself softly. I stated, "You and Matt seem to be okay around each other now."

"We weren't that close before we started dating to begin with, so I guess things are back to the way they were before," she replied meekly, fighting between a frown and a smile. "He says he's okay now, and I really do hope he means it."

"Well, to be honest, you're probably the best girlfriend he'll ever have," I playfully suggested, joking.

She laughed, shaking her head. "Aw, don't be mean. I'm trying to discreetly hint to Mimi that she should date him."

I scoffed. "_Matt _and _Mimi? _If they ever get together and had kids I don't know if they'd be the quietest or loudest children in the world." I had always figured Matt and Mimi never quite matched up, but, hey, they say opposites attract – even if it was the lone wolf and the obnoxious, pretty-in-pink fairy princess that was Mimi. It probably helped that they were both good looking, too. "At least their kids would probably grow up to be hot."

The door knob suddenly twisted open, and a familiar Dr. Kido popped his head open into the white room, where we both exchanged smiles. He entered the room quietly, jotting down some notes on a clipboard. He casually leaned against a counter, and said, "Welcome back, Tai and Sora. Didn't bring the whole gang this time, did you?"

"Nope, just us," I confirmed.

"When you see your friends again you should be cast-free," he said warmly. "Now, I do want to take one more x-ray just to ensure that things are good to go. Miss Takenouchi, I'll need you to wait in the lobby while Mister Kamiya here follows me, alright?"

"Got it," Sora chirped, giving me a wink as she slid out the door.

Dr. Kido turned to me. "Have you been feeling any pain? On a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest."

"I haven't put any weight on my leg; it's probably just more itchy and irritated than painful, so I guess a two or three?"

"Okay, the itchiness is a normal sign. Come with me, okay? And do you have any questions before we get that x-ray started?"

I bit my lip, hesitating at first, but had to ask – I blurted out sheepishly, "Actually, I do have one request to ask of you. Could you go behind me and read what's written on the back of my cast? I can't quite see from here."

Blankly, he stared at me, as if I were joking, and I grinned, embarrassed. Then, he smiled and looked down, examining all of the little autographs my friends had left on my cast from the front side. "Seems like someone wanted to give you a hard time reading what they wrote then, huh?" He trailed off as he walked behind me, lowering his body to examine the writing. He laughed a little, and pushed me forward gently by my shoulders, and I followed him as he walked past me out of the room.

"So? What does it say?"

"It says 'true love,' in capital letters. I suspect someone's got a crush on you, hm?"

I grinned all the way to the examination room.

**The How.**

The weather couldn't be more perfect.

As my mother drove me through the city, I peered out the window, my breath fogging up the glass as raindrops raced against each other, dispersing into more and more drips as rain continued to wash away the city. I rolled down the window, sticking my hand out and allowed my fingers to wave against the air, drenching my arm. Mom scolded me and I quickly put the window back up, smiling to myself, confident. The windshield wipers made slight screeching sounds. I leaned forward, examining the grey clouds above the dreary sky, but I didn't see any flashes of lightning.

"You and Sora sure have been together a _lot _lately," Mom said, trying to sound casual but her tone had a clear ounce of suspicion behind it.

"She was really supportive during my house arrest and misery at school being the kid-in-the-cast," I retorted defensively. "Mama, you like Sora, don't you?"

We stopped at a red light, and cars sped in front of us, their wheels sending puddles into the air as they went. She turned to me, placing her hand against mine. "I love Sora," she replied gently. "She's a very sweet girl."

"Good," I stated. "I ... like her a lot, too."

"I know you do, honey."

We reached Sora's building, where my mother dropped me off before smothering me with kisses on my cheeks, warning me to stay away from large cats and to "don't even think about playing soccer, especially in the rain." I rolled my eyes but told her I loved her, waving goodbye as she drove away. Normally, I'd have walked to Sora's from my place, but it had only been a few weeks since taking off my cast, and I still had to take it easy by not doing _too _much on my left leg, for the time being, anyway. Sports were off limits for now, but if there was going to be some capacity for walking, then I was going to take advantage of it despite the limitations.

I undid my umbrella, standing in the rain for a few lingering seconds. I raised my head upward, closing my eyes, taking in everything around me. _Today is going to be it, _I thought. I heard _dings, _and I snapped back into reality, noticing the damned elevator, free of "_caution" _tape all over it, had opened, letting out a handful of people as they desperately opened their umbrellas, brushing past me.

I had just been able to stop using my crutches, but my adrenaline seemed to be at a natural high because I felt like racing up the stairs like I always did instead of logically using the now brand-new, good-to-go elevator. Of course, I didn't – I slowly climbed up the stairs, step by step, thinking of how things would be after today. I had waited long enough – and today, I just had a feeling. Simply, a feeling. Today was the day.

My hand balled into a fist, and I quickly knocked against Sora's door several times. I gulped. It was difficult to not think about the consequences. A "yes" was almost inevitable; I was more than confident she wanted this, too, but what if we ended up like her and Matt? What if she eventually found someone better? She had said it was easier with Matt because they were not as close as the two of us were. If she and I were to break up, things were surely be different. She and Matt ended on a somewhat neutral note. If she and I had a horrible break up, then we _definitely _wouldn't be friends anymore.

She answered the door, her hair in a simple pony tail, and she wore a white tank top and yellow pajama bottoms, and that was all it took to confirm that today was the day. Consequences to face later or not, I didn't care – she was worth the shot, and if even in a temporary short or long period of time I'd be happy with her as my girlfriend, then I was willing to take the risk. Future Me, if Sora and I were to not be friends anymore someday, you could handle the mess. This beauty only came once in a blue moon.

"Come in," Sora said happily, leaving space for me to enter. I shook my head.

"Come out," I replied abruptly. Her eyes shifted past me, then she raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's raining."

"Exactly."

We stared at each other as I was trying to fight back a smile, and she seemed to be waiting for an explanation until finally she shrugged and said, "Alright, but let me get ready. I look like crap."

"Nonsense, you look lovely."

"Oh, whatever," she said, smiling as she turned around and disappeared down the hallway.

When she was dressed, I scurried to the stairway, shouting behind me, "Race you to the bottom!" as I slowly went down one step at a time. She caught up to me in mere seconds, stopping me by placing a hand on my shoulder, and jabbed her thumb up in the air, pointing toward the elevator.

"You know they fixed the elevator today, right?" she asked.

"I'm a man free of shackles on my leg; of course I'm going to take the stairs anyway!"

"I really think we should take the elevator–"

"Nope! Now come on!" I grabbed her by the hand, dragging her behind me.

When we reached the bottom of the building, we opened our umbrellas, and strolled down the avenue, chattering among ourselves as the sky continued to send the rain down to us. Reaching out from below her umbrella, Sora stuck her hand out, letting her palm collect the water and form a small pool in the center once it had gathered enough. "I love the rain," she said quietly to herself.

"For as long as I've known you, you've always wanted loved the rain – the thunder showers. Why?" I asked.

We had reached the playground in the park by her building, the one where we had been just several months ago, though it hardly seemed like a distant memory. It was empty, save for the occasional person or two who would be running to get out of the rain. I pulled her hand along with me, heading toward the swings, even though she argued her butt would get wet, but I countered that it had been pouring so hard, that part of our clothes were already drenched anyway. She obliged.

"Wouldn't you agree the sound of rain is, in fact, the most peaceful sound in the world?" she murmured, referring to what I had said earlier.

Then, we remained quiet, letting the drops hit against our umbrellas, as we used the tips of our toes to push us gently back and forth on the swings. She continued, "The smell of petrichor after a storm. Staying indoors, snuggled up in blankets, on a rainy day. Life to a newly planted seed, feeding on the waters. I just like everything about it, as weird as it sounds. I swear I'm a pluviophile."

"A what? A pedophile?"

She giggled, flicking me with her fingers on the shoulder. "Pluviophile – a lover of rain."

"Your name suits you, Miss Sky. Hm, or maybe you should've been named 'Ame' for 'rain.' Remember that one time you made me play Tag with you during a thunder shower?" I asked.

Biting her lip, she nodded her head, now swinging herself harder as I remained constant. "We totally got sick afterward. Hahahaha! I'm sorry! I guess whatever can go wrong, _will _go wrong."

"Then bring it on. If we get sick after today, we can call it even."

When she reached the highest point of the swing, she jumped off, flying toward the ground, and her umbrella gathered enough air to act almost like a parachute, and she landed on her feet, bent down. She turned around, joking, "Your turn!" and I argued, "And break my leg again? No, thanks! I can't keep losing my dignity breaking my leg over a fake soccer game and a giant killer cat, let alone a swing set meant for children."

"And we wouldn't want that to happen. See," she said. "So many good memories with the rain. When my mother and I were closer, we used to take walks in the rain because she knew I liked it so much. And those times after soccer practice when we had to walk home in the showers? Those days were the best."

Suddenly, the grey clouds up above rumbled, and the earth flashed as lightning shook the city. I grinned as Sora looked upward, enjoying the sights and sounds of her thunder showers, and I got up from the swing, throwing my umbrella on the ground. I urgently told her, "Put away your umbrella and enjoy this!"

She shook her head. "At this rate, we _will _get sick!"

I spun myself around in a circle, propelling sand under my feet as I began to get drenched. The thunder showers continued.

"Look at how much fun I'm having without an umbrella!" I said, sticking my tongue out at her, then pointed at her umbrella. "Plus, you'll get struck by lightning with that thing."

"Actually, those trees or the buildings around us, or even that lamp post, are more likely to get electrocuted since they're taller than us."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, _Izzy. _Now get over here and lose that thing!"

When she tossed her umbrella to the side, I pulled her close to me, embracing her with a hug. We pulled away, and she shook her head, splashing me further with her wet hair. "Remember when you used to get scared of being struck by lightning?" she asked. "Murphy's law didn't quite happen to you yet, luckily."

"No. It did. I've already been struck by lightning," I stated firmly, and she looked at me curiously. The thunder above us growled louder, and the grey clouds continued to shift into swirls. We were soaked but we hadn't noticed. When the skies would flash, her eyes brightened, and I decided it was my cue – to take a chance, and to just go with it.

Continuing, I took a step toward her. "I really like you, Sora. I don't know how many times I'm going to say that, but each time I say it, I mean it more and more. I'm sorry to have made you wait for so long, but something about today made it feel right and I have to ask because I can't wait any longer. You can add 'Tai asking me out in the rain like a cliché' as another reason why you like this weather." I realized I was shouting now because the sound of thunder was amplifying.

Her eyes widened, and she trembled, smiling, unphased by the surrounding thunder storms.

"Will you be my–" _BOOM "_–girlfriend?"

_CRACKLE. _"Yes!"

"What?!"_  
_

"YES!"

"I heard you the first time, but I just wanted to hear it again."

"You wanna hear it again? YES, YES, YES!"

And, afterward, I walked her home in the pouring rain with the thunder roaring heavily above us. We were completely soaked from head to toe and, oh, how wonderful it was to say that we didn't care, we didn't care, we didn't _care. _I attempted to actually race her to the top of her building complex, though I couldn't really do much except try to hop on my right leg as fast as I could, which rendered useless because I got tired by the time we went up the second floor due to the lack of physical activity I'd had in the last two months. She followed behind me slightly, suppressing giggles as she teased, "I _told _you we should have taken the elevator," as we climbed up and up – just like we had always done over the years I'd known her.

Except this time, we walked hand in hand.

**The Now.**

I was panting heavily, wiping the sweat off my forehead as she ran to my side, quickly tossing the soccer ball into my hands, just like old times – except, I couldn't run as fast as I could before, but I had to give myself some slack since I had only recently received the okay to play sports and run. It felt good to be on my feet again – completely, I mean. Complete and whole; it just simply felt good to _run_ and feel the wind against my skin, playing my favorite sport with my favorite person. Recovering would still take some time, but I'd get there.

"You were pretty good, considering this is the first time you've played a sport in months," Sora said, taking a gulp of her Gatorade.

"And you're not quite as rusty as I'd thought, considering you play a lame sport called tennis now," I dryly joked, and she squirted some of her drink toward my direction. I hopped out of the way. "My reflexes seemed to have come back."

"That's too bad," she replied, pretending to be angry, but then reached for my hand. "Ready to go home?"

"No, I've got a surprise for you."

She blushed, sputtering, "What? A surprise? What for?"

"I don't need a reason to surprise you. Come on."

We were already at an empty, open field by the summer camp we had attempted to attend years ago before being whisked away into the Digital World. We walked past the campsite, where we had first received our Digivices, and, it was funny realizing that if that hadn't happened, I probably wouldn't have been as close to Sora as I was now, or our other friends. Matt wouldn't have dated Sora, and I never would have had the courage to finally ask her out. The way things worked in life was extraordinary, but, hey, I wasn't complaining. I led her to the top of a hill, where a picnic basket and a blanket were spread out underneath a sakura tree, overlooking the city below us.

The sun had begun to set, blending the sky in shades of a deep blue to a fading, shimmering orange, with clouds stretching beyond the horizon.

We sat down, and she rested her head against my shoulder. "This is nice, Tai."

I pulled over the picnic basket to me, handing her a sandwich. "The perks of having me as a boyfriend, right?"

"Yeah, free food over a romantic sunset picnic? Why didn't I start dating you earlier?" She took a bite out of her sandwich, eyes widening. "This is _amazing."_

"Actually, before you thank me, Kari was the one who made yours. I had to make sure I didn't get you sick from something I made."

She laughed. "Wow, for a second there I was actually impressed that this might've been your doing. Just kidding, this is all really amazing, whether the sandwich was made by Chef Tai or not."

The breeze picked up, and we ate in silence, enjoying each other's company. Things hadn't changed – no, not one bit. Sora was my girlfriend, and our relationship felt nearly perfect (I gently tapped my fist against the picnic basket without her noticing, to knock on wood). We were completely comfortable around each other, and how things turned out just seemed ... it just seemed _natural, _like this was really meant to happen. I didn't know if I believed in fate or destiny or what have you, but everything about this – the now – felt right.

"I'd hate to possibly jinx it, but I'm so damn happy," I said, finishing up the last of my sandwich.

"Me too," she agreed, wiping her hands with a napkin. I handed her an orange juice bottle from the basket. She took a sip, letting out a soft sigh as she put it gently on the ground. The sunset was emitting a peaceful light, and all around us, the world was quiet, and all I could hear were the sounds of her breathing and the winds humming a soft tune.

I felt strands of her hair tickle my cheeks as the breeze continued, and she giggled, brushing her locks behind her ears. I gazed at her, smiling as she struggled to keep her hair in place as the wind blew strongly against us. I held my hand against her neck, and she inched closer to me, now lightly tracing her fingers against my knee.

"Can I give you a kiss?" I softly asked.

Her face flushed into a light pink, and she bashfully nodded, inching her face toward mine.

I pulled away and reached into the picnic basket, pulling out two Hershey's kisses chocolates. She stared blankly at my palm as I placed my hand in front of her, flabbergasted, and she burst out laughing, giving me a light tap with her fist on my shoulder. I tried not to laugh, but couldn't resist, and suddenly our stomachs had started hurting from chuckling so much.

Then, silence.

Stares.

Lingering stares.

And then I finally kissed her. I pressed my lips against hers, savoring her soft, gentle touch, and she ran her hand through my hair. I leaned into her, arms around her hips, pulling her in tighter in our embrace. Our series of kisses were sweet – more sweet than I had ever imagined, and it was actually, truly happening. I was kissing my girlfriend – no, my _best friend_ – and everything about it just made sense. When we pulled away, I snuck in another peck on her lips, and then on her nose. She giggled, returning to brush her lips against my cheek.

"I told you I saved cheek kisses for boyfriends," she whispered.

"I think I like these kisses more," I said, pointing to my mouth. "And I quite liked our first kiss, so a second wouldn't hurt."

She blushed, remaining silent. I popped one of the Hershey's kisses into my mouth, asking her, "What's wrong?"

"Actually, that _was_ our second kiss."

I stopped chewing. "Wait, what?"

Nervously, she giggled, then grabbed the second Hershey's kiss, eating it vigorously. "Well, when we pulled you out of the river – in the Digital World, remember? – you weren't breathing. I had taken first aid classes years ago, but I never actually had to use anything I learned until then. I freaked out, and gave you CPR. Not exactly a first kiss, but..."

I laughed. "Wow. You clearly took advantage of me while I was unconscious."

Rolling her eyes, she continued, "It always felt so awkward trying to bring it up afterward, and I didn't know the right time to tell you until, well, now. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? You saved my life! And I totally got to make out with you after almost dying."

She scooted herself away from my body, and then laid back, placing her head on my knee. I put my hands behind me, placing my palms against the ground. She turned her head, gazing at the sunset. "Dork. I just wished this could have happened sooner. I wouldn't have had to hurt anyone along the way. We could've been _this. _Happy. I shouldn't have–"

"Sora, I'm sorry, but shut up," I said, deadpan, then stifled a laugh. "Stop being so negative."

Sora blew a puff of air up at my face. "I'm sorry anyway. I know it took us awhile to get to this point in our friendship – our relationship, I should say."

I stared at the horizon, understanding her completely. Everything about us had led to this direction – best friends since childhood, partners on the same team, a clueless boy and an amazing girl. I supposed we couldn't avoid the cliché of the entire thing. It had been a crazy adventure, but we made it this far. It certainly hadn't been easy, and I could safely say with an indubitable truth that neither of us knew what was in store for us tomorrow, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

I said, "I guess it doesn't matter how we got here. We're here now, and I wouldn't want it any other way."

Of that, I was certain.

**–The End.–**

* * *

**Author's Note: **And so concludes the last chapter! BUT! The story is not over! It is not complete! The epilogue will complete this entire thing, and I'll write my last full Author's Note and thank you's there. Please do read the epilogue. I mean, what if Tai and Sora break up and some evil force took over the Real World and wiped out all of humanity? Hm? Do you really want to miss that? Oops, spoilers! I guess you'll have to wait and see if that really happens ;)

Side note, how _amazing _does that new _Digimon Tri _teaser look? AND THAT POSTER? Badass! Can't wait. Another side note: 'capisce' = Italian for "Understand?" I literally did not know it was spelled like that til I wrote this chapter; I had always thought it was "kapeesh," like how it's pronounced, lol.

Please review!

_Next: _Chapter 11 – "Epilogue: The Conclusion" (the _true last chapter_ of the story) to be published on 08/18/15.


	11. Epilogue: The Conclusion

**Epilogue: The Conclusion**

_Years_ _Later_

**The Who.**

The waves from the ocean came crashing down almost violently against the shore, sending her into fits of shrieks and giggles. I watched her kick up the pure blue water as if it were a soccer ball, then observed her as she blissfully spun around in a circle with her arms spread out like wings of a phoenix, creating a little hurricane of water dancing around her. She stopped dead in her tracks suddenly, then held a lingering stare at me, smiling. The wind picked up slightly, and her hair, now grown past shoulder length, gently clung to her face. Glistening strands of bright orange hair, tickling her cheeks. Her mouth tugged upward as she laughed, nose crinkling and all, still locking her gaze upon me, inviting me to come over and join her_._ Amber eyes, shining from the reflection of the sunset – the kind of eyes that had seen both good and bad, traumatic and beautiful; the kind that will never age as she does. Timeless eyes.

I ran a hand above my forehead to push my hair out of my eyes, and put my other hand in my pocket, ensuring that the tiny box with the ring inside was still safely intact, even though I already knew it was.

I gulped, stepping toward her.

**The What.**

The butterflies. They never left my side – or, rather, my stomach. Even now, as she was crying in pain, I could feel them. I used a cloth to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She looked at me desperately, urging me to make this all end, but all I could do was smile and reassure her that I was there. _I am here, and I am not leaving. _I planted a kiss on her head. Then, I moved some of her hair out of her face as she shut her eyes and clenched her teeth, squeezing my hand so hard that I swore blood circulation had stopped flowing and I, myself, would have to check in as a patient after this whole ideal.

Screaming – then, panting. Sighs of relief.

A soft cry, then cooing.

I looked up, with butterflies fluttering all over me inside when I saw – inside my stomach, inside my mind, inside my heart.

Hands. I saw hands. Little, soft hands, reaching for life.

I took a hold of her small hand, grasping them gently with mine. Already she made me feel so much bigger, physically and mentally, and suddenly this all became too real. I looked at my wife, who was holding the tiny bundle of joy and life in her arms, slowly rocking her back and forth. She returned my gaze, smiling. I was now a father, and my wife was now a mother. _Wow. _

The doctor placed a hand on my shoulder. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya. Isn't she beautiful?"

I nodded at him, glancing at my new little love, then over at Sora. "Yes. Yes, she is."

**The When.**

"Wanna know something kind of cool?"

"Hm?"

"Looking back now, I know the exact moment when I realized I loved you."

"When?"

"When I realized I didn't want you eating any of my mother's cooking. Remember when I used to not know how to do anything in the kitchen besides microwave some instant noodles? When you first came over to my place as my official girlfriend, I realized in horror that our first 'family' dinner would not, _could_ not be cooked by my mother. Don't get me wrong - I love her, absolutely love the woman, but, man, she can't cook to save her life. And I was not about to let you get sick from eating her food after meeting her for the first time - you know, as my actual girlfriend. I learned how to cook by watching videos online, experimenting in the kitchen with Kari weeks before you came over that night. I almost burned down the apartment a few times. I had cooked everything on my own that night. I mean, if it was any other person, I'd be like, 'Eh, go ahead. You can try my mom's stuff if you want.' I wanted it to be perfect for you. It was a big moment of my life, even if it was as simple as having dinner with my mom and sister, even though you've met them a kazillion times prior. It was the first time all of us would be together, with you and me as boyfriend-girlfriend. I realized I loved you, and for the first time the prospect of being in love wasn't scary to me anymore."

**The Where.**

"Where the hell is that supposed to be?" She groaned in frustration, and I couldn't help but laugh. The first clue for her birthday scavenger hunt was,

_You have the key to this,_

_Forever and always._

_(Except when you make me clean up Baby Girl's poo._

_Then you're on your own.)_

"Oh, come on, that one is easy!" I exclaimed. She rolled her eyes.

"You suck at this! I hardly call it clue. Plus, you've totally copied what I've done for you before!" She paused, thinking about it. "This can't even be a place. I… I have the key to your heart?"

I smiled, and suddenly she realized the reason I was bundled up with a hooded jacket on a warm, spring day. She slowly pulled down on the zipper of the jacket, revealing what I was adorned with underneath: a gold, heart-shaped key necklace, dangling right by my own heart. She turned pink in embarrassment, grinning up at me as I removed the necklace from myself and put it around her neck. Then, she kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her, wholeheartedly returning the kiss.

And although this "where" was not a physical place, I could not help but refer to where it had all started – the heart.

**The Why.**

Sora hardly sang. Like, ever. Not even in front of me.

So, when the opportunity would ever arise, whenever I heard her sing to Baby Girl without realizing I was about to enter the room, I'd pause. I'd listen, closing my eyes at times, and I'd reflect on how lucky and happy I was to be present and in the moment, right then, with my two girls, with another little one on the way. I was just happy. Happy, and happy ever after.

I did not need a reason why.

I just was.

And what led up to this unimaginable attainment of happiness was because of **The How. **The underrated, fantastic how, that shaped and molded what I was today, and what I will ever be. The how made it all possible, and, although I was sure our love story wasn't the only one to be this incredible, it felt unique, and I was grateful to have gone through both the hard and the lovely times. Little did I know it had all started when the dorky fifth-grader met the bright-eyed, talented orange-haired girl on the soccer field, who'd become his new team mate, and, later, his wife.

She struck him with lightning and he hadn't recovered since.

I mean, all I had to do was get mugged by Davis Motomiya and save her White Day presents, mistakenly believe Sora was going to kiss me when she was actually going to give me a Hershey's kiss chocolate, watch her date my best friend, accidentally become Jun Motomiya's boyfriend for two hours, have our crazy friends try to set us up by trapping us in the Digital World, battle against a Tyrannomon with my bare hands, and break my leg and wear a cast for two months. No big deal.

And it was funny that our little 'how' had led to different 'how's' for others. Matt eventually recovered from his break up with Sora, and found solace in a certain pink-loving friend of ours (how the hell they managed to have their opposite personalities match, I didn't know). Oh, and pretty-in-pink Mimi _did _end up kissing Numemon in the Digital World as promised (though, she refused to speak to any of us for a whole week after and locked herself in the house the whole time. Some say she took three showers a day that week). Takeru proposed to Kari not too long ago, and the pair had just started the process of planning their wedding. Izzy and Joe found girls of their own too, even though Izzy was occupied being a computer-wiz-tech-guy at a company he founded, and Joe was busy saving lives as a doctor at the hospital I stayed at years ago. Davis and Jun, were, well, still Davis and Jun. That 'how' – what a concept.

If you had asked me ages ago if I'd ever thought I'd marry the girl who looked like she was a graceful, delicate dancer when she played soccer, I'd have laugh. Who, her? No way. I wouldn't have believed you, not even for a second. Funny how these things work, right? Don't underestimate falling in love. I told you, I'm not one for romance, but even I could admit that it's a powerful force. It'll happen to you, whether you want it to or not. It's just up to you _how _it'll play out. Sometimes, things will go wrong. Terribly, _terribly _wrong. Was it worth it, you ask? Through the heartbreak, the hassle, the pain?

Was it worth it?

For her, I'd say: hell yeah.

* * *

**Author's Note: **As Frodo in LOTR said, "It's done." IT'S OVER. DONE! FINISHED! BYE FELICIA!

Several things, for those interested:

**1.** This fic is _so _different from what I intended. It was supposed to be more like the epilogue, with nothing really in a traditional narrative.  
**2.** I'm surprised I actually finished this fic (and this epilogue was posted on the one year anniversary of this story. Happy birthday, _The How!)  
_**3.** Just about everything written was on a whim, so, I hope it all made sense and that it was somewhat entertaining.  
**4.** This is (most likely) my last _Digimon _fic. I think I've just about exhausted my creative outlet for Taiora, but I can't say I'll never write for it again.  
**5\. **Though, on that note, I will be re-editing Chapter 3 someday b/c I loathe it.  
**6.** This site seems to have a huge fanbase for Mimato, which I'm not a fan of (nor against), so I wrote the pairing in there since a lot of people seem to like it.  
**7.** THANK YOU for reading this far, to those who've read from chapter one.

Thank you for sharing your lovely thoughts by reviewing: Sora Loves Rain, DutchGirl, shrimproll, Fier66, rabbit, weather741, Palooza, SoraxKairi7, DazzlingClouds, Supershooter, Niederdeut, Sweet Cari, dbzgtfan2004, dhair2423/David, Rdk3, Guest (s), naturaldisaster7, blackXmage, Ryner510.

and thank you  to those who added this story onto their favorites or alert list. You have all encouraged me to continue and finish this story.

Please consider leaving one last review to let me know what you thought of the epilogue!

Sorry for the long note! Take care :)

\- remaerd x


End file.
